THE  APOSTLE  OF  PEACE. 


A REVIEW  OF  HIS  LIFE  AND  LABORS; 


PEACE  ASSOCIATION  OF  FRIENDS  IN  AMERICA, 


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3, 

U54 


IrLcieit. 


FAGE 

Introduction,  by  Elihu  Burritt,  - 7 

Chapter  I,  - - 17 

“ IT,  27 

“ III, 38 

“ IV, 45 

“ V, 58 

" VI, 70 

YII,  --------  82 

“ VIII, 92 

•“  IX,  - - 100 

“ X,  112 

« XI, 122 

“ XII, 131 

" XIII, 139 


9 \ o 


I 


INTRODUCTION. 


The  following  extracts  from  the  “ Introductory 
Notes,”  by  Elihu  Burritt,  to  the  Memoir  of  William  Ladd, 
we  append  as  an  appropriate  Introduction  to  our  abridge- 
ment of  the  original  work : 

“ The  greatest  wealth  of  any  country  or  age  is  the 
immortal  lives  it  produces  for  itself  and  the  world.  There 
are  rich  and  proud  empires  that  look  upon  such  lives  as 
their  peculiar  and  most  precious  treasures. 

“ When  America  comes  to  make  up  her  jewels,  or  to 
compare  them  with  the  jewels  of  other  nations,  it  is  doubt- 
ful if  she  will  be  able  to  show  a life  of  longer  radius  and 
serener  light  than  the  life  of  William  Ladd.  This  Maine 
farmer  arose  by  the  power  breathed  into  his  soul,  to  the 
very  first  order  and  rank  of  that  nobility  of  the  great  world 
which  numbers  but  a few  men  in  a single  age.  Every 
country  has  its  illustrious  patriots,  whose  souls  can  only 
take  in  and  worship  its  soul  good  and  glory.  But  philan- 


Till 


INTRODUCTION. 


thropists,  with  hearts  large  enough  to  take  into  their 
embrace  fifty  nations,  with  a pulse  of  sympathy  and  good- 
will beating  warm  and  ceaseless  for  each  and  all — such 
men  have  been  few  from  the  birth  of  time,  and  they  are 
few  to-day,  though  increasing  in  number.  They  are  the 
only  order  of  nobility  recognized  and  honored  by  the 
empire  of  humanity.  Patriots  may  make  a more  brilliant 
lustre,  but  it  is  more  temporary,  and  confined  to  local 
illumination.  Often  a shade  of  national  selfishness  dis- 
colors its  aspect  to  other  countries.  The  light  it  sheds 
upon  its  own  land  may  have  been  kindled  at  the  ashes  of 
their  prosperity.  It  may,  to  the  eyes  that  most  admire  it, 
shine  the  brighter  for  the  darkness  it  has  made  around  it. 
But  true-hearted  philanthropy,  of  William  Ladd’s  order  of 
will  and  work,  ascends  to  a higher  level  of  view  and  life. 
As  from  the  mount  on  which  Christ  sat  and  preached  his 
immortal  sermon,  it  looks  off  upon  the  great  world  in  the 
pathway  of  his  eye  and  with  the  pulse  of  his  heart.  It 
looks  from  such  a lofty  point  of  vision  that  the  boundaries 
between  nations  seem  but  the  narrow  streets  of  one  great 
city,  not  walls  to  sunder  its  habitations.  From  such  a 
height  it  can  not  or  doe3  not  notice  whether  the  faces  on 
one  side  be  black,  and  on  the  other  white,  or  a shade 
between.  To  its  ear  the  human  voice  has  but  one  lan- 
guage, the  human  heart  but  one  divine  fashion  of  sensi- 
bility, the  human  soul  but  one  stamp  of  origin  and  value. 


INTRODUCTION. 


ix 


“Such  was  the  philanthropy  of  William  Ladd,  and 
such  was  the  eye  with  which  he  looked,  the  heart  with 
which  he  felt,  the  hand  with  which  he  worked,  and  the 
life  he  led,  for  the  common  weal  of  mankind.  The  order 
or  mission  of  philanthropy  to  which  be  gave  all  these 
faculties  of  his  life  was  at  the  time  but  just  instituted.  No 
other  special  work  of  good-will  to  man  set  agoing  since  the 
angels  sung  thear  song  to  that  string  and  tune,  ever  re- 
quired more  faith  and  hope  against  hope.  It  was  the  effort 
to  abolish  a system  of  violence  and  bloodshed,  which,  every 
year  from  the  flood  to  Waterloo,  had  destroyed  more 
human  lives  than  perished  in  the  waters  that  upbore  Noah's 
ark,  or  at  that  average  of  destruction.  Christianity  had 
not  checked  war,  neither  by  making  it  less  frequent  or 
furious.  Even  when  paganism  had  succumbed  before  the 
banners  of  the  Cross,  religious  wars  between  nations  that 
raised  those  banners  against  each  other,  raged  with  heathen 
fury  sometimes  for  a generation.  Christendom  was  one 
continuous  field  of  battle,  with  only  short  breathing  spaces 
called  times  of  peace.  Ail  the  nations  of  the  civilized 
world,  including  America,  had  just  emerged  from  a long 
and  terrible  struggle,  terminating  at  Waterloo.  They  were 
all  still  bleeding  with  their  wounds,  and  burning  with  ani- 
mosities that  blood  bad  not  quenched.  Heroism,  chivalry, 
patriotism,  military  history  and  glory  of  all  the  Grecian 
and  Roman  centuries;  of  the  middle  ages,  and  all  other 


X 


INTRODUCTION. 


ages ; Homer,  Virgil,  and  all  the  classical  romance  of 
martiad  deeds  and  daring — all  these  took  hold  of  press, 
pulpit,  and  people,  and  made  a new  literature  in  prose  and 
verse  to  feed  the  appetites  they  had  created.  Such  was 
the  time  at  which  a few  men  in  private  life,  of  small  in- 
fluence, but  of  great  faith  and  holy  purpose,  came  together, 
each  band  a little  handful,  in  London  and  Boston,  almost 
simultaneously,  without  concert  or  mutual  knowledge. 
These  men,  few  and  feeble  in  political  and  social  force, 
addressed  their  minds  to  the  question  how  the  long  reign 
of  war  could  be  broken,  and  banished  from  the  Christian 
world.  It  required  a faith  which  few  men  had  attained  in 
a thousand  years  to  believe  that  the  great  destroyer  could 
be  bound  and  cast  into  the  utter  darkness  that  gave  it  birth. 
The  struggle  would  be  long  and  desperate,  but  not  doubt- 
ful in  the  far-off  end.  This  they  believed.  With  this 
faith  in  the  power  of  the  Christian  religion,  reason,  and 
the  enlightened  conscience  of  nations,  they  believed  that 
the  war  system  might  be  abolished  like  other  evils  that 
had  yielded  to  the  same  moral  forces.  Still  there  was  one 
great  difference  between  this  system  and  all  other  pernicious 
customs  that  had  been  put  down  or  remained  to  be  abol- 
ished. It  was  in  this  aggravated  and  formidable  difference 
that  these  early  friends  of  peace,  and  all  who  have  since 
espoused  the  cause,  met  their  greatest  difficulty. 

*“  This  difference  between  war  and  slavery  or  intern- 


INTRODUCTION. 


XI 


perance,  or  any  other  great  form  or  wrong  and  oppression, 
has  its  most  serious  distinction  in  the  fact,  that  one  is  an 
international,  world-wide  custom,  and  the  other,  local  or 
national  evils,  to  be  abolished  only  by  local  efforts  or 
national  legislation.  England  could  and  did  abolish 
slavery  in  her  colonies  without  asking  concert  or  consent  of 
other  countries.  The  United  States  did  the  same.  Intem- 
perance has  been  and  is  a terrible  evil  in  both  countries ; 
but  it  is  for  the  people  of  each  to  put  it  down  in  their  own 
borders.  The  example  and  sympathy  of  one  are  helpful  to 
the  other,  as  a stimulus  to  new  faith  and  exertion,  but  the 
real  work  and  result  are  local.  Each  must  do  the  one  and 
achieve  the  other  by  and  for  itself.  But  no  one,  nor 
two,  nor  three  nations  can  abolish  war.  To  banish  this 
great  evil  from  the  civilized  world  requires  the  co-work- 
ing and  co-partnership  of  all  the  great  nations  of  Christen- 
dom, no  three  of  which  speak  the  same  language.  Beside 
this  difficulty,  they  greatly  vary  in  temperaments,  institu- 
tions, and  in  progress  of  enlightenment.  Now,  not  only 
the  governments,  but  the  people  of  these  nations  had  to  be 
virtually  educated  and  brought  to  see  the  wickedness  and 
folly  of  the  war  system,  and  to  join  in  the  effort  to  abolish 
it.  To  reach  and  convince  the  minds  of  these  rulers  and 
peoples,  and  to  enlist  their  effective  co-operation,  involved 
an  effort  from  which  even  men  of  sanguine  faith  and  hope 
might  well  have  shrunk. 


Xll 


INTRODUCTION. 


“ But  war  was  not  only  an  international  custom,  to  be 
abolished  by  the  whole  family  of  nations  working  in  co- 
partnership, but  it  was  upheld  by  influences  which  no  other 
evil  habit  or  system  ever  won  to  its  support.  Slavery  never 
produced  any  attractive  literature  to  deepen  its  hold  upon 
the  popular  mind  of  any  country  that  tolerated  the  evil. 
It  had  no  martial  chivalry  or  heroes  to  sing  about  slave- 
hunting  raids  in  Africa,  or  incidents  of  11  the  middle 
passage,”  or  of  barracoons  and  slave-pens  in  America, 
Cuba,  or  Brazil.  It  furnished  no  tropes  or  illustrations 
for  the  press  or  pulpit  rhetoric.  It  touched  no  enthusiasm  ; 
it  stirred  no  romantic  sensibility  in  its  favor.  It  had  no 
hold  upon  the  better  nature  of  man;  nor  found  any  defense 
or  reason  for  its  existence,  except  in  the  lowest  instincts  of 
self-interest  of  a man,  of  which  his  moral  conscience  was 
secretly  ashamed.  Intemperance  was  as  poor  in  literature, 
in  prose  or  verse,  as  slavery.  It  had  only  the  low  language 
of  appetite  in  its  defense  or  apology.  Its  bacchanalian 
songs  touched  no  chords  of  sympathy  in  the  popular  mind. 
It  would  not  enlist  music,  poetry,  and  painting,  nor  make 
any  attractive  romance  for  novels.  The  earnest  men  and 
women  in  America  and  England  who  banded  themselves 
against  these  evils,  could  pierce  them  through  and  through 
with  the  arrows  of  truth.  There  were  no  thick  bosses  of 
classic  literature  and  classic  history  to  turn  or  dull  the 
points  of  their  weapons. 


INTRODUCTION. 


xiii 

“ How  different,  in  these  respects,  has  ever  been  and 
still  is  the  popular  status  of  war ! Nearly  two-thirds  of 
the  written  history  of  mankind  has  been  the  history  of  this 
destroyer  of  the  race.  It  has  suborned  to  its  service  and 
glorification  the  most  brilliant  literature  of  all  the  ages. 
One  continuous  line  of  poets,  from  Homer  to  Tennyson, 
has  sung  its  glories  with  a genius  the  world  has  called 
divine.  Music  and  painting  and  sculpture,  and  every  other 
art  that  could  throw  a romantic  gloss  or  glamour  around 
its  bloody  deeds,  have  given  their  power  to  the  beast. 
Every  college  that  has  opened  its  doors  in  Christendom  for 
the  last  thousand  years,  has  nursed  and  fed  the  minds  of 
its  students  with  this  literature.  More  than  one  hundred 
lines  of  Mars’  bible  have  been  taught  and  learned  against 
one  line  of  Christ’s  gospel  committed  to  memory.  And 
perhaps  the  press  and  pulpit  never  dealt  in  military  allu- 
sions and  illustrations  more  freely  than  at  this  very  day 
that  we  have  reached.  All  the  human  industries  and 
enterprises,  all  the  heroic  and  patient  philanthropies  that 
have  been  set  on  foot  for  human  good  since  the  flood,  have 
never  made  such  poets,  painters,  and  singers  as  war  has 
brought  into  the  world  to  celebrate  its  glories, 

“ Such,  then,  was  the  work  which  a small  band  of 
men,  meeting  in  Boston  almost  simultaneously  with  a sim- 
ilar band  in  London,  had  faith  and  hope  enough  given 
them  to  set  their  hands  to,  soon  after  the  battle  of  Water- 


INTRODUCTION. 


3&Y 

loo.  The  venerable  Noah  Worcester  virtually  led  this 
forlorn  hope  in  America,  supported  by  a few  others  who 
shared  his  views  and  labors  for  the  cause.  His  “ Solemn 
Review  of  the  Custom  of  War”  made  a deep  impression 
upon  many  thoughtful  minds,  and  the  new  and  unpopular 
society  he  represented  gradually  gained  adherents  in  the 
face  of  general  indifference  and  much  ridicule.  But  the 
cause  was  now  to  win  one  who  may  be  called  its  first  apostle 
in  America. 

“At  the  age  of  forty-one,  William  Ladd,  then  a 
retired  farmer  in  Maine,  found  himself  drawn  to  the  point 
of  a new  departure  in  his  life  of  labor  and  duty  ; and,  like 
Paul,  he  was  not  disobedient  to  the  heavenly  vision  that 
opened  up  to  him  a field  of  effort  for  which  he  had  been 
unconsciously  prepared.  The  readers  of  his  biography 
will  notice  the  process  of  this  preparation,  and  the  affini- 
ties of  his  natural  temperament  and  disposition  for  the 
work.  In  the  first  place,  he  had  had  a very  remarkable 
education  and  experience,  producing  and  illustrating  that 
almost  endless  versatility  of  genius  and  working  capacity 
so  peculiar  to  a genuine  New  England  character.  Indeed, 
few  men,  even  of  this  race,  had  ever  fitted  themselves  for  so 
many  different  positions  and  occupations,  and  filled  them 
all  so  effectively.  Graduating  from  Harvard  to  a place 
before  the  mast  as  a common  sailor,  and  then  from  the 
mastership  of  a vessel  of  his  own  to  a cotton  plantation  in 


INTRODUCTION. 


XV 

Florida,  and  alternating  between  other  occupations,  on  sea 
and  land,  at  home  and  abroad — he  had  a training  in  the 
knowledge  of  the  world  and  of  human  nature,  that  fitted 
him  in  this  respect  admirably  for  his  apostleship  in  the 
cause  of  Peace.  But  this  training  supplied,  as  it  were,  only 
the  muscular  force  of  intellect  and  experience  for  the  work, 
and  it  would  not  have  led  him  into  it  by  its  own  impulse. 
A kindness  of  heart  and  tender  regard  for  man  and  beast ' 
a deep  and  generous  sympathy  with  the  oppressed  and  the 
suffering,  whatever  their  color,  race,  or  condition,  were 
manifested  and  cultivated  in  all  the  enterprises  he  had  set 
his  hand  to,  and  fitted  him  for  an  advocate  of  a new 
course  of  philanthropy,  suddenly  brought  before  him  under 
impressive  circumstances.” 

A few  days  after  the  death  of  William  Ladd,  the 
following,  in  a notice  of  his  death  and  character,  appeared 
in  the  News  Letter , published  at  Exeter,  N.  H. : 

“His  biography,  if  well  w'ritten,  will  make  one  of 
the  most  interesting  and  useful  books  of  the  age.  But  who 
shall  write  his  biography  ? Who  shall  describe  the  changes 
of  his  eventful  life  ? Who  shall  speak  of  him  as  the  acad- 
emy boy,  the  collegian,  the  sailor,  the  sea  captain,  the  agri- 
culturist, the  public  speaker,  the  Sabbath-school  teacher, 
the  advocate  of  temperance,  the  friend  of  the  African  race, 
the  promoter  of  missionary  and  Bible  societies,  the  bene- 
factor of  the  widow  and  the  orphan,  the  Apostle  of  Peace, 


KYI 


INTRODUCTION. 


the  humble  Christian,  the  minister  of  the  gospel,  the  friend 
of  man,  the  servant  of  God?” 

Nearly  thirty  years  passed  away,  however,  before  a 
biographer  was  found.  At  length  John  Hemmenway,  from 
the  love  he  bore  to  his  character,  and  the  cause  he  so 
earnestly  advocated,  undertook  the  task. 

“ No  one,”  he  says,  “ can  regret  more  than  myself, 
that  the  important  work  of  writing  the  Memoir  of  Ladd 
has,  in  the  providence  of  God,  fallen  to  one  so  poorly  qual- 
ified for  such  an  undertaking.  A biography  worthy  of  him 
can  not  now  be  written,  as  a large  portion  of  his  manuscripts 
can  not  be  found,  and  probably  are  not  in  being,  as  the 
most  diligent  search  and  inquiry  have  brought  but  little  to 
view  ; and  the  most  of  his  friends  and  acquaintances,  wTho 
could  have  furnished  much  valuable  material,  are  now 
numbered  with  the  dead.” 

But  notwithstanding  the  scantiness  of  material,  and 
the  low  estimate  the  biographer  entertains  of  his  abilities, 
he  has  succeeded  in  bringing  prominently  to  view  all  the 
different  traits  of  character  alluded  to  in  the  Exeter  News 
Letter , and  has  happily  produced  “ one  of  the  most  interest- 
ing and  useful  books  of  the  age.” 

In  abridging  the  work,  we  have  endeavored  to  pre- 
serve and  make  prominent  all  these  different  traits  of 
character  in  a smaller  compass,  for  the  special  benefit  of 
youthful  readers. 


A REVIEW 


OF  THE 


LIFE  OF  WILLIAM  LADD. 


WILLIAM  LADD, 


CHAPTER  I. 

William  Ladd  was  born  in  Exeter,  N.  H., 
on  the  10th  of  May,  1778.  He  was  the  eldest  son 
of  Eliphalet  Ladd,  an  eminent  merchant,  who  re- 
moved to  Portsmouth  about  the  year  1705,  and  died 
in  1806,  respected  as  a patriot  and  a Christian.  His 
wife,  the  mother  of  William  Ladd,  whose  maiden 
name  was  Abigail  Hill,  was  a woman  of  superior 
mental  and  moral  excellence.  William,  it  is  said,  in 
his  countenance  much  resembled  his  mother.  She 
became  the  second  wife  of  the  Rev.  Joseph  Buck- 
minster, D.  D.,  of  Portsmouth,  who  died  in  1812. 
She  continued  his  widow  to  her  death  in  1884,  at  the 
age  of  eighty-eight  years. 


18  WILLIAM  LADD. 

“ Ig  w ould  be  interesting,”  says  his  biographer, 
“ to  evejry  one<,  \>l>c  truly  deserves  the  scriptural 
title  of  ‘a  lover  of  good  men/  to  linger  among  the 
eariiejr  of  t\ip  life  of  him  who,  in  a long  course 
of  years,  gave  the  best  of  all  evidences  that  he  loved 
God,  by  ardent  and  holy  love  of  man  ; but  unfor- 
tunately little  can  be  found  to  gratify  this  worthy 
curiosity.  That  the  ‘ Apostle  of  Peace/  the  peace- 
maker of  the  nineteenth  century,  was  an  amiable 
boy,  full  of  peace  and  love  to  all,  a favorite  with  his 
mates  and  school-fellows  in  the  quiet  and  beautiful 
town  of  Exeter,  is  an  unquestioned  fact.  Such  a 
record  v7as  made  of  him  many  years  ago,  by  one  of 
his  cotemporaries.” 

The  school  hours  of  his  earlier  years  seem  to 
have  been,  according  to  his  own  account,  rather 
tedious  to  his  frolicsome  spirit ; and  when  released 
from  being  pinned  to  the  darned  apron,  a bond  as 
indissoluble  as  a chain  of  adamant,  he  says : 

“We  remember  how  hats  and  caps  flew  into 
the  air  when  the  welcome  cry  of  ‘All  out*  pro- 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


19 


claimed  our  liberty,  and  the  shouts,  the  loud  laugh- 
ter and  the  antic  capers  by  which  the  long  pent-up 
spirits  at  length  found  vent.” 

‘ ‘ William  Ladd  fitted  for  college  at  the  academy 
of  his  native  town,  and  entered  Harvard  University 
in  1793,  and  received  his  degree  of  A.  B.  in  regular 
course,  1797,  at  the  age  of  nineteen  years.  Ur.  Beck- 
with says  ‘ he  attained,  on  the  green  side  of  twenty, 
such  a reputation  for  scholarship  as  entitled  him, 
on  the  close  of  his  collegiate  course,  to  an  honorable 
appointment  in  a class  which  produced  some  of  our 
most  distinguished  men.’ 

“William  Ladd  had  no  ambition  to  be  consid- 
ered a learned  man.  He  was  very  much  inclined  to 
rank  himself  low  as  a scholar  in  comparison  with 
other  literary  and  scientific  men.  He  would  some- 
times say,  sportively,  ‘ the  knowledge  which  I gained 
in  college  the  salt  water  washed  out  of  my  mem- 
ory. ’ ” 

He  says,  in  reference  to  his  knowledge  of  Greek 
writers : 


20 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


“ All  that  remained  of  my  labors  by  the 
midnight  lamp,  over  the  pages  of  Homer  and  Xeno- 
phon, was  the  admiration  of  feats  of  arms  and  mili- 
tary glory,  and  that,  at  last,  thank  God,  has  vanished 
too,  having  been  dissipated  by  the  light  of  the  blessed 
gospel,  which  plainly  showed  me  that  it  was  only  a 
delusion  of  Satan.” 

He  was  considered,  however,  by  those  who 
knew  him  well,  as  a good  Greek  scholar. 

He  subsequently  gives  his  opinion  as  adverse  to 
the  study  of  the  Greek  and  Roman  writers,  as  he 
considered  the  influence  of  their  sentiments  inju- 
rious, especially  to  the  young.  Although  long  fol- 
lowing the  multitude  in  the  blind  adoration  which  is 
paid  to  classical  literature  and  the  works  of  great 
heathen  authors  of  antiquity,  he  says  : 

“ Investigation  has,  on  this,  as  well  as  on  many 
other  subjects,  entirely  changed  our  opinion.  How- 
ever we  may  admire  the  harmony,  beauty,  and 
sublimity  of  Homer’s  verses,  and  the  brilliancy  of 
his  imagination,  all  must  confess  that  his  heroes  are 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


21 


as  opposite  to  the  heroes  of  the  gospel  as  light  to 
darkness,  heaven  to  hell.  The  virtues  which  he 
extols  are  the  vices  against  which  Christians  warn  us.” 

“The  year  he  left  college,  William  Ladd  sailed, 
as  a common  sailor,  in  one  of  his  father’s  vessels, 
and  visited  London  and  other  parts  of  Europe.  The 
next  voyage  he  went  as  mate  ; and  in  eighteen 
months  from  the  time  he  embarked  as  a sailor,  he 
took  command  of  one  of  the  largest  ships  that  had 
ever  sailed  out  of  Portsmouth,  being  then  but  twenty 
years  of  age.  He  soon  became  one  of  the  most 
highly-esteemed  sea  captains  in  New  England.  He 
followed  the  sea  for  several  years,  and  gained  much 
useful  information.  At  about  the  age  of  twenty-one 
years,  he  married  Sophia  Ann  Augusta  Stidolph,  of 
London,  who  was  then  nineteen  years  of  age.” 

On  leaving  the  sea  in  1800,  Captain  Ladd 
settled  as  a merchant  in  Savannah,  Ga.,  but  in  a 
few  months  after  removed  to  Florida.  Though  not 
an  experimental  Christian  at  that  time,  one  object 
in  settling  there  was  for  the  purpose  of  introducing 
the  free  labor  of  European  emigrants,  with  the  hope 


22 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


of  substituting  free  for  slave  labor,  in  the  culture  of 
cotton.  He  was  not  successful  in  his  efforts,  and  left 
Florida  on  the  death  of  his  father  in  1806,  and 
settled  in  Portsmouth ; and  again  returned  to  the 
ocean  for  a livelihood. 

“ Captain  Ladd,”  says  his  biographer,  “contin- 
ued year  after  year,  to  spread  the  sails  of  his  ships, 
visiting  many  and  far-distant  lands,  increasing  in 
wealth  and  knowledge  of  the  earth  and  of  man,  till 
the  war  with  Great  Britain,  in  1812,  compelled  him 
to  furl  his  canvass  in  Portsmouth,  as  it  proved  for- 
ever. 

“It  would  be  interesting  to  follow  him,  voyage 
after  voyage,  as  he  sailed,  accompanied  with  the 
loved  wife  of  his  bosom,  who,  though  of  a timid 
nature,  clung  to  him  at  all  times  with  singular  ten- 
derness and  constancy.  Were  materials  at  hand  for 
such  a purpose,  the  ‘pen  of  a ready  writer ? might 
portray  a history  more  enchanting  than  the  most 
marvelous  web  of  fiction  that  shuttle  of  novelist 
ever  wove. 

“About  two  years  after  he  left  the  ocean,  he 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


23 


removed  to  Minot,  in  the  State  of  Maine,  and  lived 
upon  a large  farm  that  belonged  to  his  father  at  the 
time  of  his  death ; having  bought  of  his  three 
brothers  their  right  in  this  patrimonial  estate.” 

During  the  following  eight  or  nine  years  of 
William  Ladd’s  life,  his  biographer  found  no  docu- 
ments to  draw  from,  and  his  account  is  necessarily 
brief;  but  during  this  period  “-he  appears  to  have 
employed  himself  very  diligently  in  building,  plant- 
ing trees,  erecting  stone  walls,  cultivating  his  land, 
and  raising  stock,  principally  sheep.  He  was  an 
enthusiast  in  agriculture.  He  loved  it  for  its  owrn 
sake,  rather  than  for  its  profits.  A lady  that  knew 
him  well,  recently  said,  that  ‘lie  seemed  to  wish  to 
make  everything  better  than  he  found  it — not  only  in 
the  moral  but  in  the  material  world.’” 

“The  natural  scenery  of  Minot  is  beautiful, 
and  the  climate  remarkably  healthful.  His  farm 
consisted  of  two  hundred  acres  of  land,  and  he  also 
owned  four,  and  for  a number  of  years  six  other 
farms,  or  lots  of  land  situated  in  different  directions 
from  his  homestead.  These  out  places  were  occupied 


24 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


principally  in  pasturing  his  large  flocks  of  sheep. 
His  farm  during  the  latter  part  of  his  life  produced 
about  one  hundred  and  fifty  tuns  of  hay.  When  he 
purchased  it,  it  produced  but  five  tuns. 

“ He  built  barn  after  barn,  until  there  were  six 
large  barns  on  the  homestead. 

“ He  was  probably  the  largest  farmer  in  the 
county  of  Cumberland,  and  perhaps  in  the  state. 
It  might  have  been  truly  said  of  William  Ladd, 
as  a philanthropist,  a true  patriot,  a man  of  noble, 
enlarged  views,  and  probably  also  as  a farmer,  ‘ He 
was  the  greatest  of  all  the  men  of  the  East/” 

But  with  all  his  prosperity  and  greatness  he  was 
yet  an  unconverted  man. 

“Soon  after  he  came  to  Minot,”  continues  his 
biographer,  “he  bought  a library  of  religious  books, 
with  the  intention  of  ‘ reading  himself  into  Chris- 
tianity/ as  his  pastor  expressed  it.  He  seems  to 
have  been,  when  he  removed  to  Minot,  in  a serious 
state  of  mind,  having  considerable  desire  to  know, 
by  regenerating  knowledge,  Him  of  whom  Moses  in 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


25 


the  law  and  the  prophets  did  write,  even  Jesus  of 
Nazareth.  Mr.  Ladd  said  he  could  not  become  relig- 
ious in  Portsmouth,  there  was  so  much  in  that  place 
to  draw  his  attention  from  the  one  thing  needful. 
But  in  reality,  the  great  difficulty  was  not  in  Ports- 
mouth, but  in  himself.  Still,  as  he  wished  to  quiet 
his  conscience,  he  tried  to  reason  himself  into  the 
idea  that  it  would  be  well  for  him  to  postpone  his 
attention  to  religion,  not  only  until  ‘a  more  conven- 
ient season/  but  also  to  a more  convenient  place. 
He  thought  that  in  the  quiet  country  town  of  Minot, 
he  could  easily  turn  his  feet  into  the  narrow  way 
that  leads  unto  life.  But  his  books  did  not  have 
sufficient  power  to  cause  him  to  come  to  Christ  as  a 
lost  sinner,  and  he  continued,  for  several  years, 
much  the  same  that  he  was  when  he  came  to  his 
rural  home. 

“A  man,  for  many  years  a resident  of  Minot, 
who  knew  Mr.  Ladd  well,  once  remarked  to  me : 

‘ When  Captain  Ladd  first  came  to  Minot,  he  felt 
just  as  if  he  was  standing  on  the  quarter-deck  of  a 
ship.’  By  this  expression  he  meant  to  convey  the 
idea  that  Captain  Ladd  intended  that  every  man  for 


26 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


miles  around  should,  like  sailors  at  sea,  take  the 
word  from  him  as  master,  and  implicitly  obey  it.” 

Such  was  the  man  who,  “ some  time  in  the  year 
1816,  as  he  was  in  Portland  one  day,  stepped  into 
Deacon  Cross’  tin-shop  to  buy  a dish,  and  gave  the 
deacon  a bank  bill,  who  told  him  it  was  worthless,  as 
the  bank  had  failed.  Mr.  Ladd,  as  he  took  the  bill, 
uttered  a curse  or  some  improper  expression  against 
the  bank.  Deacon  Cross  said  to  him,  ‘Remember, 
you  will*  have  to  give  an  account  of  every  word  you 
say.’  This  pointed  rebuke  was  the  means,  by  the 
blessing  of  God,  of  his  conversion.  From  this  time 
forward  they  were  firm  friends.  This  proverb  of 
Solomon,  ‘ Reprove  a wise  man  and  he  will  love 
thee,’  was  strikingly  verified  in  the  conduct  of  Wil- 
liam Ladd.  After  thus  embracing  the  gospel  of 
Jesus,  he  became,  and  continued  to  the  close  of  his 
life  increasingly,  one  of  the  meekest  and  most  phi- 
lanthropic of  human  beings.” 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


27 


CHAPTER  II. 

Having  traced  the  life  of  William  Ladd  up  to 
the  time  when  he  became  a sincere  and  earnest 
Christian,  we  find  him  ready  and  willing  to  enter 
upon  any  work  his  Divine  Master  should  call  him 
into. 

“I  had  the  privilege,”  he  says,  of  witnessing 
some  of  the  last  hours  of  Rev.  Jesse  Appleton, 
D.  D.,  President  of  Bowdoin  College.  In  his  joyful 
anticipations  of  the  growing  improvement  of  the 
world,  and  the  enumeration  of  the  benevolent  socie- 
ties of  the  day,  he  gave  a prominent  place  to  peace 
societies ; and  this  was  almost  the  first  time  I ever 
heard  of  them.  The  idea  then  passed  over  my  mind 
as  the  day-dream  of  benevolence  ; and  so  ©very  one 
views  the  subject  who  does  not  examine  it.  It  is 
probable  that  the  impression  made  at  this  interview 


28 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


first  turned  my  attention  to  the  subject,  but  it  prob- 
ably would  soon  have  escaped  from  me,  had  not  the 
Solemn  Review , which  came  soon  after  into  my  pos- 
session, in  a very  singular  way,  riveted  my  attention 
in  such  a manner  as  to  make  it  the  principal  object 
of  my  life  to  promote  the  cause  of  peace  on  earth 
and  good  will  to  men.” 

In  a letter  written  to  a friend  some  time  after 
this,  he  says : 

“It  was  long  my  inquiry,  ‘Lord,  what  wilt 
thou  have  me  to  do  ? ’ and  when  this  neglected 
part  of  the  vineyard  was  pointed  out  to  me  by  the 
finger  of  Providence,  immediately  I consulted  not 
with  flesh  and  blood,  but  joyfully  seized  on  the  work, 
and  all  I lament  is  the  feebleness  of  my  arm,  which 
prevents  my  doing  more.” 

It  is  not  known  that  he  said  or  wrote  much 
expressly  to  promote  Peace,  till  he  began  his  first 
series  of  Essays  on  Peace  and  War,  thirty-two  in 
number,  in  the  Christian  Mirror  at  Portland,  in  July, 
1823.  In  his  introduction  to  these  essays,  he  says : 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


29 


“ In  consequence  of  reading  the  ‘Friend  of 
Peace/  and  other  tracts,  published  by  the  Massachu- 
setts Peace  Society,  I became  convinced  that  war  is 
an  evil  which  ought  to  be  banished  from  civilized 
society,  and  it  is  the  duty  of  every  man  to  lend  a 
helping  hand  to  bring  about  so  desirable  an  event. 
I felt  it  a duty  which  I owe  to  God  and  my  fellow7- 
creatures,  to  do  something  to  hasten  the  glorious  era 
when  men  shall  learn  war  no  more  ; which  is  cer- 
tainly predicted  in  the  scriptures,  but  which  must  be 
brought  about  by  God’s  blessing  on  the  exertions  of 
the  benevolent.  Every  individual  is  responsible  for 
his  conduct  in  this  respect.  He  who  does  not  give 
his  prayers,  his  influence,  his  talents,  and,  if  neces- 
sary, his  purse,  to  hasten  the  millennium,  fails  in  his 
duty  as  a Christian  and  a man.” 

These  essays  were  completed  in  the  Mirror  in 
1824,  and  in  1825  were  published  in  a volume. 

In  an  article  written  in  1825,  he  says : 

“ What  is  strange  to  tell,  and  what  will  appear 
inscrutable  to  future  generations  is,  that  benevolent 


30 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


men,  bearing  the  Christian  name,  have  been  engaged 
in  the  slave-trade,  both  as  owners  and  officers,  and 
were  unconscious  of  their  wickedness.  By  the  exer- 
tions of  a few  benevolent  individuals,  cases  of  this 
barbarity  were  brought  distinctly  before  the  public, 
and  the  trade  was  abolished.  I hope  that  by  expos- 
ing some  of  the  horrors  of  the  war-trade  I may  be,  in 
some  feeble  measure,  accessory  to  the  abolition  of  war, 
which  has  been  a thousand  times  more  mischievous 
to  the  happiness  of  the  human  family  than  the  slave- 
trade,  because  it  extends  to  a thousand  times  greater 
portion  of  the  human  race,  and  enslaves  not  only  the 
body,  but  eternally  destroys  the  soul.” 

Also,  in  1825,  William  Ladd  began  a second 
series  of  Essays  on  Peace  and  War  in  the  Mirror , 
numbering  thirty-seven,  and  finished  them  in  1826. 
In  1827  they  wrere  also  published  in  a volume.  In 
his  preface,  he  says : 

“ If  my  feeble  exertions  shall  in  any  way  ad- 
vance the  great  cause  of  ‘ Peace  on  earth  and  good- 
will to  men/  which  brought  the  Savior  from  heaven, 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


31 


the  small  space  I have  filled  in  existence  will  not  be 
left  a blank,  and  my  fellow-creatures  will  be  bene- 
fited more  than  they  could  be  in  any  other  way  by 
me,” 


The  following  sentences  are  from  a Fourth  of 
July  address  in  1825,  before  the  peace  society  of 
Oxford  county : 

u Truth  is  wholesome  medicine,  though  some- 
times disagreeable.” 

“ Ware  are  necessary  to  armies,  and  armies  to 
kings,  No  army,  no  king ; and  I wish  I could  say, 
no  king,  no  army.” 

“Injustice,  as  it  generally  precedes,  so  it  com- 
monly follows  wars,  and  the  victorious  acknowledge 
no  right  but  power.” 

“We  are  free — politically  free.  Shall  we  not 
then  be  morally  free,  and  drive  from  us  all  those 
prejudices  which  enslave  the  mind?  Shall  we  not 
remember  that  we  are  men,  and  that  all  mankind 
are  our  brethren  ? ” 

“As  you  love  virtue  and  happiness,  as  you 


32 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


prize  liberty  and  independence,  as  yon  desire  to  be 
true  disciples  of  the  Prince  of  Peace,  ‘study  the 
things  that  make  for  peace.’  Above  all,  beware  of 
being  dazzled  by  the  glaring  meteor  of  military  glory 
which,  like  an  ignis  fatuus,  beguiles  mankind  into 
perdition,  both  temporal  and  eternal.  Give  honor  to 
whom  honor  is  due,  but  do  not  confound  the  destroy- 
ers with  the  benefactors  of  our  race.” 

In  February,  1824,  he  delivered  an  address 
before  the  Maine  Peace  Society,  and  in  December, 
1826,  an  address  in  Boston  before  the  Massachusetts 
Peace  Society,  both  of  which  were  reprinted  in 
London.  The  following  is  from  the  Portland  ad- 
dress : 

“ The  greatest  anomaly  in  the  moral  world  is  a 
fighting  Christian, — especially  a Christian  fighting 
under  the  pretext  of  spreading  the  gospel  of  peace. 

. . . . As  one  star  differs  from  another  in 

glory,  so  we  may  suppose  those  who  have  saved  the 
world  from  war  will  shine  with  superior  lustre. 
What  sources  of  immortal  happiness  do  they  deprive 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


33 


themselves  of,  who  refuse  or  neglect  to  be  fellow- 
workers  with  God  in  the  pacification  of  the  world. 

“Nor  are  you,  ladies,  to  be  idle  spectators  of 
this  change.  On  you,  no  less  than  on  us,  depends 
whether  the  custom  of  war  shall  be  abolished.  You 
are  the  guardians  of  our  infancy.  From  you  we 
receive  the  first  impressions  and  the  associations  of 
ideas  which  we  form  in  the  nursery,  which  go  with 
us  through  life,  and  descend  with  us  to  the  grave. 
It  is  yours  to  give  the  tender  plant  a direction  favor- 
able to  peace.  O,  how  melancholy  is  the  fact,  that 
female  beauty,  softness,  and  delicacy  should  so  often 
have  smiled  on  scenes  of  carnage  and  bloodshed,  and 
rewarded  the  perpetrators  of  the  blackest  crimes 
with  smiles  of  approbation!  When  your  sex  shall 
frown  on  the  custom  of  war,  then,  and  not  till  then, 
will  it  be  abolished.” 

It  was  in  1819  when  William  Ladd,  then  forty- 
one  years  of  age,  left  the  bedside  of  Dr.  Appleton, 
with  the  first  brief  impression  on  his  mind  of  the 
cause  of  Peace,  but  which  doubtless  would  soon  have 


34 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


been  lost,  had  not  the  Solemn  Review  singularly  fallen 
in  his  way.  The  Solemn  Review  was  one  of  the  first 
fruits  of  the  labors  of  Dr.  Worcester  in  the  peace 
cause. 

“The  cause  of  peace  in  modern  times,” says  Dr. 
Beckwith,  “began  very  much  with  the  press.  In 
December,  1814,  Noah  Worcesters  celebrated  pam- 
phlet, A Solemn  Review  of  the  Custom  of  War , was 
published  anonymously  in  Boston  ; in  the  December 
following  the  Massachusetts  Peace  Society  was  organ- 
ized, only  six  months  before  the  London  Peace  Soci- 
ety; and  the  next  month  Dr.  Worcester  sent  forth 
the  first  number  of  the  Friend  of  Peace , and  continued 
it,  though  with  little  aid  of  any  sort,  for  twelve 
years,  until  at  the  age  of  seventy  he  retired  from 
public  life,  and  left  his  mantle  as  a peace  reformer  to 
fall  on  William  Ladd.” 

Thus  it  appears  that  the  writings  of  Dr.  Wor- 
cester were  mainly  instrumental  in  the  conversion  of 
William  Ladd  to  the  cause  of  Peace,  and  he  proved 
himself  well  worthy  to  receive  the  mantle  of  his 
illustrious  predecessor. 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


35 


“ As  a speaker,”  says  Elihu  Burritt  in  his  iutro- 
duction  to  the  memoir,  “he  had  remarkable  power 
to  impress  an  audience  with  the  eloquence  of  his 
earnest  and  deep  conviction.  All  the  trainings  of 
his  varied  occupations  and  experience  now  came  into 
effective  use;  and  the  telling  and  happy  illustrations 
they  supplied,  boih  to  embellish  and  enforce  his 
arguments,  made  his  addresses  very  interesting  and 
convincing.  His  whole  heart  and  soul  were  in  the 
work,  and,  speaking  in  earnest,  he  was  listened  to  in 
earnest  by  all  who  heard  him.  .... 

“In  a few  years  after  his  interview  with  Dr. 
Appleton,  at  the  closing  hours  of  that  good  man’s 
life,  he  became  knowTn  and  esteemed,  both  in  Eng- 
land and  America,  as  the  Apostle  of  Peace.  For  he 
not  only  gave  himself,  heart,  soul,  mind,  and  purse 
to  the  work,  but  he  was  able  to  do  what  no  one  had 
done  before — to  go  up  and  dow7n  through  the  coun- 
try, preaching  the  gospel  on  which  it  was  founded 
with  an  earnestness  that  always  secured  him  an 
attentive  hearing.  To  these  labors  was  soon  added  a 
large  correspondence  with  the  friends  of  the  cause  in 
England  and  other  countries.” 


36 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


“There  are  two  characteristics  of  Mr.  Ladd’s 
apostleship  and  labors  for  the  cause  which  the 
thoughtful  reader  must  notice.  All  men  who  enter 
upon  a great  Christian  work,  see  at  first  its  princi- 
ples, as  did  at  first  the  partially-opened  eyes  of  the 
blind  man  in  scripture,  ‘like  trees  walking.’  They 
do  not  at  first  plant  their  feet  fully  and  firmly  on  the 
rock  of  truth,  and  they  soon  begin  to  feel- no  strength 
in  their  standing.  This  was  Ladd’s  first  experience. 
He  espoused  the  cause  of  Peace  just  as  thousands  of 
the  early  friends  of  temperance  did,  who  allowed  a 
moderate  or  occasional  use  of  intoxicating  drinks, 
not  realizing  how  ‘ the  fatal  precedent  will  plead  ’ 
with  the  voice  of  a growing  appetite.  He  was  not  a 
total  abstainer,  but  admitted  the  right  of  defensive 
war.  He  soon  found  that  his  feet  stood  upon  the 
sand  instead  of  the  rock ; that  the  inch  which  he 
allowed  brought  in  all  the  elk  that  a Bonaparte,  a 
Frederick,  or  a Wellington  could  wash  to  ask, — that 
every  war  that  had  wasted  the  earth  could  come  in 
through  that  inch  of  allowance;  that  wars  in  defense 
of  honor  could  and  would  plead  for  even  higher 
authority  than  wars  for  the  defense  of  life  or  prop 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


37 


erty;  and  that  every  nation  was  the  sole  judge  of 
its  own  honor,  and  of  the  occasion  to  fight  for  it. 
So  he  found,  what  every  effective  friend  of  the  cause 
must  find,  that  total  abstinence  is  as  vital  a doctrine 
to  peace  as  it  is  to  temperance.  From  that  time 
forth,  to  the  day  of  his  death,  he  held  and  demon- 
strated the  principle  that  all  war  is  inconsistent  with 
the  spirit  and  teachings  of  the  Christian  religion.” 

“ The  other  characteristic  of  Mr.  Ladd’s  advo- 
cacy was  the  clear  perception  of  the  most  practical 
plan  for  abolishing  war,  and  organizing  permanent 
and  universal  peace.  The  theory  of  confederations, 
leagues,  diets,  and  congresses  of  nations  to  this  end, 
had  been  brought  before  the  world  by  men  of  differ- 
ent countries.  But  Mr.  Ladd  was  the  first  to  give 
an  American  shaping  to  such  an  assembly.  He 
was  the  first  to  assimilate  it  in  structure  and  func- 
tion to  our  National  Congress  and  Supreme  Court.” 

Further  notice  will  be  taken  of  this  part  of 
his  wTork  as  we  proceed. 


38 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


CHAPTER  III. 

“For  several  years,”  says  Elihu  Burritt,  “after 
Mr.  Ladd  came  into  the  work,  the  peace  societies 
were  mostly,  if  not  entirely,  confined  to  the  New 
England  States,  or  rather  to  Massachusetts  and 
Maine.  The  one  organized  in  Boston  was  the  mother 
of  them  all  in  age  and  inspiration.  It  was  now  one 
of  Mr.  Ladd’s  early  and  successful  efforts  to  form  a 
national  organization  in  New  York,  called  the 
American  Peace  Society.  This  was  accomplished  in 
May,  1828,  after  a long  series  of  lectures  delivered  in 
New  England  and  the  Middle  States.  In  the  same 
year  and  month,  Mr.  Ladd  issued  the  first  number 
of  the  Harbinger  of  Peace , which  he  continued  for 
three  years.  It  was  a monthly  magazine  of  twenty- 
four  pages,  of  which  1,500  copies  were  printed 
monthly.  All  this  while  he  retained  his  residence 
and  carried  on  his  farm  at  Minot,  in  Maine ; laboring 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


39 


on  it  in  the  sowing  and  ingathering  seasons  of  the 
year,  and  lecturing  on  Peace  between  the  close  of  fall 
and  opening  of  the  spring  work.  But  he  could  not 
intermit  his  editorial  labors  for  the  cause  in  this  way. 
These  he  had  to  perform  in  the  busiest  months  of 
farming  life.  Even  in  the  hot  weeks  of  haying 
and  harvest,  he  had  to  write  or  provide  twenty-four 
pages  of  matter  for  his  Harbinger.” 

In  reference  to  the  Harbinger , William  Ladd, 
some  years  afterward,  made  this  statement: 

“ At  that  juncture  I solemnly  pledged  myself  to 
the  friends  of  Peace  that,  if  God  spared  my  life  and 
health,  there  should  be  a peace  periodical,  whether  I 
was  assisted  or  not.  The  first  number  of  the  Har- 
binger of  Peace  was  published,  and  also  the  last  in 
New  York;  and  the  others  at  Portland,  Portsmouth 
and  Boston — wherever  I might  happen  to  be.  Under 
such  circumstances,  there  could  not  rationally  be  ex- 
pected any  great  effect,  and  but  little  was  realized.” 

“How  beautifully  modest  in  regard  to  his  own 


40 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


labors,”  says  John  Hemmenway.  “ Although  he 
thought  he  accomplished  but  little  for  Peace  by 
his  Harbinger , yet  he  actually  performed  a great 
and  good  work  for  mankind,  which  will  be  more 
and  more  evident,  as  the  blessed  age  of  peace  and 
love  draws  nearer  and  nearer,  and  the  sound  of  war 
grows  cheeringly  fainter,  till  it  shall  expire,  to  the 
sublime  joy  of  a regenerated  world.” 

The  following  extracts  from  private  letters 
written  during  1827,  the  year  previous  to  the  forma- 
tion of  the  Ajnerican  Peace  Society,  will  convey  a 
graphic  view  of  his  preliminary  labors : 

“ January  1st,  1827. 

“ The  part  I have  taken  in  the  cause  of  Peace,  I humbly 
trust,  was  dictated  by  a sincere  desire  to  advance  the  tem- 
poral and  eternal  interests  of  my  fellow-creatures,  and  I 
have  been  amply  rewarded.  Could  conquerors  and  heroes 
appreciate  the  happiness  I have  experienced  in  my  success 
in  this  righteous  and  glorious  cause,  they  would  sicken 
with  envy,  and  hold  their  laurels  cheap.  But,  alas,  they 
have  no  taste  for  the  exercise  of  benevolence,  and  it  is  to 
them  like  flesh  to  an  ox,  or  hay  to  a dog.” 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


41 


“ When  I begin  the  subject  of  peace,  I never  know 
when  to  stop. 

“As  soon  as  my  private  affairs  will  admit,  I intend 
opening  my  winter  campaign ; I have  some  prospect  of 
success,  but  that  depends  on  God.  I have  a prospect  of 
establishing  a peace  society  at  the  Theological  Seminary 
at  Andover,  which  I should  consider  as  a great  point  gained. 
I am  not  used  to  despair,  as  perseverance  is  my  motto. 

“The  formation  of  a National  Peace  Society  is,  I think, 
highly  important  to  the  success  of  our  cause.  At  the 
reorganization  of  the  Peace  Society  of  Maine,  last  winter 
(1826),  I laid  the  plan  before  the  society,  and  the  following 
vote  was  pased,  viz : * That  it  is  expedient  to  take  measures 

for  the  formation  of  a National  Peace  Society/  ” 

Referring  to  the  long  journeys  which  he  com- 
templated  in  behalf  of  the  cause  of  peace,  he  says : 

“ The  sacrifice,  to  be  sirre,  will  be  great ; but  it  is  not 
the  sacrifice  I mind  ; 1 fear  my  want  of  ability.  But  that,  I 
hope,  may  be  made  up  by  exertion,  as  velocity  makes  up 
for  weight  in  given  momentum.  Small  causes  often  pro- 
duce great  effects.” 

“March  1st,  1827. 

“ We  come  now  to  the  consideration  of  the  great  object, 
the  formation  of  a National  Peace  Society.  The  object  of 


42 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


the  society  will  be  to  give  a tone  of  prominence,  unity,  and 
strength  to  all  the  exertions  of  all  the  friends  of  Peace  in 
the  United  States,  and  indeed  to  all  the  inhabitants  of 
North  America  who  are  favorable  to  the  cause.  But  I can 
not  at  present  enlarge  on  the  benefits  to  be  derived  from 
such  a society,  and  will  barely  remark  that,  as  knowledge 
is  power,  so  union  is  strength. 

“ The  object  of  peace  is  so  copious  that  the  only  diffi- 
culty lies  in  the  choice  of  what  things  to  say  first.  Some 
of  my  friends,  who  have  not  looked  much  into  the  subject, 
are  afraid  I shall  exhaust  it ; but  I tell  them  that  ministers 
will  sooner  preach  out  the  Bible. 

“In  general  I try  to  make  out  my  addresses  suitable  to 
the  character  of  the  audience  ; for  instances,  in  addressing 
the  audience  at  Portsmouth,  when  last  there,  I addressed 
motives  of  general  philanthropy,  patriotism  and  economy, 
and  endeavored  to  expose  the  false  glory  of  war,  and  the 
dangers  arising  from  it. 

“At  the  Theological  Seminary,  Andover,  where  I lately 
formed  a large,  and,  I trust,  energetic  peace  society,  my 
motives  were  chiefly  drawn  from  the  anti-christian  nature 
of  war,  and  its  direct  hostility  to  the  peaceable  principles 
inculcated  by  Christ  and  his  apostles,  and  the  obstacles 
which  were  thrown  in  the  way  of  propagating  the  gospel 
among  the  heathen. 

“You  may,  perhaps,  be  surprised  at  my  enthusiasm; 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


43 


but  when  you  consider  that  the  success  I have  met  with  has 
been  twenty  times  greater  than  I anticipated,  and  when  you 
are  informed  that  I never  have  been  so  happy  as  since  I 
embarked  in  the  great  and  good  cause,  you  ought  rather  to 
wonder  at  my  being  so  lukewarm.  Indeed,  I grudge  every 
moment  I am  not  engaged  in  it.  I allow  my  mind  to  be 
taken  up  in  other  objects  only  as  the  means  of  a greater 
usefulness,  and  I never  can  be  sufficiently  thankful  to  my 
Heavenly  Father  for  having  directed  my  feet  into  a walk 
at  once  so  useful  and  so  pleasant  as  that  which  his  beloved 
Son  came  to  earth  to  point  out  to  erring  mortals.” 

“ Minot,  June  11th,  1827. 

“If  you  knew  how  much  I have  to  do  you  would 
excuse  me  in  not  answering  your  letters  more  punctually.  I 
have  been  writing  a series  of  lectures  on  Peace,  preparatory 
to  my  next  winter’s  excursion,  and  thought  to  have  com- 
pressed them  into  four,  but  they  have  extended  to  six.  I 
have  had  to  complete  my  second  series  of  essays,  and  some 
of  the  numbers  required  a great  deal  of  research.  I have, 
beside,  a considerable  mercantile  establishment  to  look  out 
for,  and  a farm  of  five  hundred  acres  to  see  to  daily,  beside 
some  manufacturing  and  mills,  some  journeys  to  make,  a 
great  many  letters  to  write,  and  am  personally  engaged 
for  three  evenings  in  a week  for  religious  meetings,  and 
once  a fortnight  beside ; and  then  I have  forced  upon  me 


44 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


offices  in  many  benevolent  and  literary  institutions,  and  in 
some  of  the  smaller  I must  be  ‘ factotum .’  I hope  all  these 
things  will  apologize  for  my  long  silence.” 

“November  10th,  1827. 

“ We  celebrated  our  anniversary  of  the  Minot  Peace 
Society  on  the  7th  instant.  We  had  a violent  snow  storm; 
but  we  had  a large  and  respectable  and  'patient  audience, 
for  the  exercises  continued  between  two  and  three  hours. 
My  address  exceeded  an  hour  and  a quarter,  and  was  heard 
with  the  utmost  attention  notwithstanding  the  severity  of 
the  cold.” 

“ You  know  that  my  object  is  to  form  a National  Peace 
Society,  located  at  either  New  York  or  Philadelphia,  and  I 
shall  make  my  utmost  efforts  for  this  purpose;  and  so  shall 
want  every  grain  of  aid  I can  get  from  every  friend  of 
Peace  in  America,  and  perhaps  shall  fail  after  all.  If  I do 
not  try,  I am  sure  I shall  not  succeed,  and  I can  try  if  I 
can  do  nothing  else.  To  do  great  things  one  must  attempt 
great  things.  Hitherto  my  success  has  altogether  exceeded 
my  expectation.” 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


45 


CHAPTER  IV. 


“ Philadelphia,  February  12th,  1828. 

“ I have  not  yet  found  any  one  who  would  do  for  a- 
corresponding  secretary.  Many  would  do  it  for  pay,  but 
such  will  not  do  at  the  present,  for  where  is  the  money  to 
come  from  ? and  besides  that,  I want  a better  motive.  I 
am  sanguine,  however,  as  to  a National  Peace  Society.” 

“My  reception  in  this  city  has  been  noble.  All  the 
churches  are  open  to  me.  Since  I began  this  letter  I have 
been  interrupted  by  a party  of  ladies , who  call  upon  me  by 

appointment,  all  ardent  friends  of  Peace 

Nothing  but  the  cause  in  which  I am  engaged  prevents  my 
being  homesick.  O Minot,  when  shall  I see  thee  again? 
and  O wife,  too  ? My  time  is  entirely  occu- 

pied in  preaching  from  house  to  house,  and  I have  more 
appointments  than  I can  well  meet.” 

“Minot,  April  28th,  1828. 

“I  should  be  very  happy  to  visit  Brooklyn,  Conn.r 
going  or  returning' from  New  York;  but  you  must  consider 


46 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


what  the  spring  is  to  the  farmer.  I am  obliged  to  have  a 
great  number  of  men  to  work,  in  order  to  bring  my  previ- 
ously-laid plans  to  a close.  Agriculture  was  formerly  my 
hobby.  I was  delighted  with  the  idea  that  posterity  would 
enjoy  the  fruit  of  the  trees,  the  seed  of  which  I have  planted  ; 
and  that  my  huge  and  expensive  stone-walls  would  protect 
the  crop  of  the  farmer  in  the  millennium,  when  the  walls  of 
cities  and  fortresses  and  triumphal  arches  and  Bunker  Hill 
monuments  will  be  pulled  down  for  the  material  to  build 
churches  and  fences.  But  now  I look  at  moral  improve- 
ments, rather  than  physical.  Still  I delight  in  farming, 
and  would  not  sacrifice  it  to  anything  but  Peace,  and  the 
hope  of  being  in  some  small  degree  instrumental  in  convert- 
ing the  sword  to  a plowshare.” 

The  preceding  extracts  from  his  private  letters 
make  us  better  acquainted  with  the  active  life  of 
William  Ladd.  We  here  get  a glimpse  of  how  much 
was  done  during  the  year  preceding  the  organization 
of  the  American  Peace  Society.  The  letter  of  the 
28th  of  April  left  him  in  the  midst  of  his  spring  work 
on  his  farm.  On  the  8th  of  May,  ten  days  afterward, 
before  the  day  of  railroads,  we  find  him  in  New  York, 
four  hundred  miles  distant,  at  the  first  meeting  of  the 
American  Peace  Society,  just  two  days  before  he 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


47 


completed  his  fiftieth  year.  Thus  the  first  great 
object  of  his  life  was  accomplished,  and  he  at  once 
grasped  the  next  great  idea,  the  Congress  of  Nations, 
and  spent  the  residue  of  his  life  in  laboring  for  its 
accomplishment. 

Although  the  cause  of  Peace  engrossed  the  larger 
portion  of  his  time  and  thoughts,  yet  “ William  Ladd 
was  a generous  and  steadfast  friend  of  all  truly  benev- 
olent causes,  as  temperance,  Sabbath  schools,  the 
African  and  the  Indian  races,  seamen,  home  and 
foreign  missions,  etc.  Whatever  society  or  cause 
was  designed  for  the  happiness  and  improvement  of 
mankind,  for  time  or  immortality,  he  affectionately 
embraced  in  the  wide-extended,  arms  of  his  philan- 
thropy. He  was  always  ready  to  open  his  mouth 
and  his  purse  in  their  behalf.  Pie  frequently  spoke 
in  favor  of  mariners.  The  Portland  Advertiser  thus 
refers  to  an  address  he  delivered  in  Portland,  in 
1826: 


“The  address  of  Mr.  Ladd  was  such  as  we  had 
anticipated.  After  receiving  a liberal  education, 
many  years  of  his  early  life  were  devoted  to  the 


48 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


ocean.  All  the  habits  of  life  and  peculiarities  of 
thought  and  expression  of  our  hardy  sons  of  the 
4 mountain  billows ’ were  familiar  to  him.  He  had 
witnessed  the  many  dangers  with  wThich  they  are 
surrounded,  become  familiarized  with  their  wants, 
and  participated  in  their  hardships  and  sufferings. 
He  was  therefore  peculiarly  qualified  for  the  import- 
ant purpose  of  his  address.  A very  numerous  col- 
lection of  sea-faring  men  were  present,  to  whom  in  a 
very  feeling  and  appropriate  manner  he  principally 
directed  his  discourse.  He  very  pathetically  en- 
treated their  attention  to  that  compass,  the  direction 
of  whose  needle  never  varies  from  the  true  point,  by 
an  obedience  to  which  they  might  avoid  all  the  rocks 
and  shoals  and  quicksands  with  which  they  are  sur- 
rounded, steer  their  ship  over  the  tempestuous  ocean 
of  life  in  safety,  and  enter  the  haven  of  eternal  rest 
with  a cargo  that  never  perishes,  of  infinitely  more 
value  than  all  the  wealth  of  India.’ ” 

William  Ladd  was  an  earnest  and  faithful  mem- 
ber of  the  Congregational  Church.  His  pastor. 
Rev.  Elijah  Jones,  said  of  him  : 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


49 


“ From  the  time  of  my  acquaintance  with  him 
till  the  day  of  his  death,  which  was  about  twenty 
years,  he  might  truly  be  said  to  be  growing  in  grace. 
Yet  often  did  he  lament  that  he  had  not  become 
religious  while  young,  and  enter  sooner  on  the  good 
work  in  which  he  was  engaged,  that  he  might  have 
a whole  lifetime  to  labor  for  the  cause  of  righteous- 
ness. Let  our  young  men  think  of  this 

“ It  was  not  in  the  cause  of  Peace  alone  that  he 
was  accustomed  to  shine.  He  was  a devoted  Sab- 
bath-school teacher,  and  often  had  the  satisfaction  to 
see  the  school,  of  which  he  was  superintendent, 
watered  with  the  showers  of  Divine  grace. 

“ He  was  a man  eminently  industrious  ; usually 
rising  early,  and  not  retiring  till  late.  Sometimes 
he  would  continue  his  labors  till  midnight.  When 
admonished,  as  he  frequently  was,  that  such  intense 
application  would  prove  unfriendly  to  life,  he  usually 
answered  that  he  could  have  but  a few  years  to  labor, 
there  was  a great  deal  to  be  done,  and  he  felt  anxious 
to  be  continually  about  his  Master’s  business ; and 
though  he  w7ould  regard  advice  so  as  to  relax  a little 
for  a season,  such  was  his  love  for  application,  and 


50 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


his  devotedness  to  the  cause,  that  no  one  who  knew 
him  would  expect  him  to  spare  his  exertions. 

“Though  considered  wealthy  and  generous,  he 
was  yet,  in  his  house  and  on  his  farm,  frugal  and  eco- 
nomical He  considered  wealth  valuable  as  a means 
of  doing  good  ; he  understood  the  great  principle  by 
which  a man’s  property  is,  morally  speaking,  a part 
of  himself,  and  lie  was  desirous  his  property  should 
labor  for  him  in  the  cause  of  Peace  when  his  own 
hands  should  be  in  the  grave.  Who  can  doubt  the 
sinceriry  of  a man  who  thus  devotes  all  he  possesses?” 

His  biographer  says  : 

“ I understand  that,  in  all  the  houses  in  a pretty 
thickly  settled  neighborhood  within  two  miles  of  Minot 
Centre  Congregational  meetinghouse,  family  worship 
is  maintained,  with  only  one  or  two  exceptions.  The 
lady  who  stated  this  fact  to  me,  added,  ‘ We  see  here 
the  influence  of  Mr.  Jones  and  Mr.  Ladd.’ 

“ Mr.  Jones  was  a good  minister,  and  the  people 
of  Minot  were  greatly  and  mainly  indebted  to  Mr. 
Ladd  fir  him. 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


51 


“That  good,  unpretending  minister  of  Jesus 
Christ  was  a preacher  well  suited  to  the  piety  and 

taste  of  William  Ladd 

“During  a protracted  religious  meeting  in  Minot, 
in  1831,  Mr.  Ladd  arose  one  morning,  and  said,  with 
tears  freely  flowing  down  his  face,  ‘ My  tears  are 
not  the  tears  of  sorrow  but  of  joy.  I spent  nearly 
the  whole  of  last  night  in  prayer  for  the  conversion  of 
my  wife;  and  I had  resolved  to  continue  in  prayer 
to-night,  but  this  morning  my  wife  entains  a hope 
that  she  is  a new  creature  in  Christ  Jesus.’ 

“Mr.  Ladd  prayed  with  his  family,  morning 
and  evening,  reading  from  the  Old  Testament  in  the 
morning,  and  the  New  Testament  in  the  evening. 
His  prayers  were  varied  according  to  the  circum- 
stances of  the  time,  of  his  family,  and  the  community. 
He  always  prayed  for  the  time  to  come  when  swords  shall 
be  beaten  into  plowshares.  How  many  followers  of  the 
Prince  of  Peace  do  this?  He  generally  stood  in 
family  prayer,  according  to  the  ancient  custom  of 
New  England.  In  prayer,  his  eyes  were  open  and 
fixed  intently  upward  toward  heaven,  with  the  sub- 
limest  reverence,  his  whole  majestic  person  except 


52 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


his  lips,  as  motionless  as  a statue  of  marble.  In  this 
attitude  it  seemed  as  if  he  would,  with  the  highest 
gratitude  of  soul  for  the  wondrous  gift  of  eternal 
life,  through  a crucified  Savior,  gaze  upon  the  glories 
of  the  upper  world,  and  him  that  sitieth  at  the  right 
hand  of  God. 

“ After  Mr.  Jones  came  to  Minot,  for  many 
years  he  preached  every  other  Sabbath,  two  miles 
distant  from  the  meetinghouse,  near  Mr.  Ladd’s. 
He  always  wished  his  whole  household  to  regularly 
attend  meeting  on  the  Sabbath.  But  he  did  not  ask 
any  one  to  wTalk.  He  w^ould  furnLh  all,  even  robust 
young  men,  with  hordes  and  carriages  to  ride ; 
although  it  would  not  have  been  really  wearisome  for 
a strong  young  man  to  walk  two  miles,  yet  he  wished 
to  make  going  to  meeting  on  the  Sabbath  a pleasant 
exercise.  The  Ladd  mansion,  on  Sabbath,  would 
often  be  left  entirely  without  inhabitants.  As  there 
were  frequently  many  visitors  there,  the  number  that 
left  for  public  worship  was  often  quite  large. 

“He  was  one  of  the  kindest  and  best  of  husbands, 
and  he  was  regarded  by  his  wife  with  an  affection 
that  amounted  almost  to  idolatry.  Her  intense  affec- 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


53 


tion  for  him  is  evidence  that  he  was  one  of  the 
tenderest  and  noblest  of  husbands.  Mrs.  Ladd  was 
said  to  be  by  nature  a very  timid  woman : would 
tremble  even  at  crossing  a brook ; but  she  braved  all 
the  dangers  of  the . mighty  deep,  during  nearly  or 
quite  all  of  Mr.  Ladd's  sea  voyages  after  their 
marriage.  At  one  time  she  was  the  means  of  saving 
his  ship  in  a storm.  His  sailors  were  sick,  and  she 
with  her  husband  worked  at  the  pumps  till  the 
danger  was  past.  They  had  no  children. 

“Mr.  Ladd  was  one  of  the  first  in  Minot  to 
move  in  the  temperance  reform.  For  a number  of 
years  he  supplied  his  farm  laborers  with  rum,  as  was 
the  universal  practice.  And  when  he  discontinued 
the  custom,  he  added  the  value  of  the  rum  to  their 
wages.  He  at  first  abstained  from  the  use  of  rum, 
brandy  and  gin,  but  as  he  was  a great  lover  of  good 
wine,  he,  with  other  good  men,  continued  to  partake 
of  the  juice  of  the  grape  for  several  years  after  he 
gave  up  ardent  spirits.  But  Mr.  Ladd  found  that 
his  use  of  wine  retarded  the  progress  of  temperance, 
as  some  of  the  people  said  they  would  sign  the  pledge 
of  total  abstinence  from  ardent  spirits,  if  they  could 


54 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


afford  to  drink  wine  as  Mr.  Ladd  did.  On  being 
informed  of  this  fact,  he  at  once  and  forever  bade 
farewell  to  his  much-loved  wine  cup.  He  also  gave 
up  the  use  of  cider.” 

“In  an  address  before  the  Congressional  State 
Conference  at  Augusta,  Maine,  in  1836,  he  said: 
‘Not  long  since  one  of  my  hired  men  got  drunk  on 
cider,  and,  worse  still,  on  my  cider.  I at  once  gave 
orders  to  have  my  cider  mill  cut  into  oven  wood,  for 
I was  determined  to  have  no  more  cider  about  my 
premises.  ’ 

“Mr.  Ladd  gave  up  the  use  of  tobacco  soon 
after  he  became  a Christian.  He  gave  the  amount 
he  used  to  spend,  or  rather  waste,  for  tobacco,  which 
was  a considerable  sum  every  year,  for  the  education 
of  a heathen  boy,  under  the  care  of  the  A.  B.  C.  F. 
M.  Few  Christians  ever  lived,  who  more  entirely 
and  cheerfully  ‘crucified  the  flesh  with  the  affections 
and  lusts’  than  William  Ladd.” 

William  Ladd  Jones,  son  of  the  pastor,  thus 
writes  of  him  : 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


55 


“ In  rel'gious  meetings  his  words  were  ready 
and  appropriate.  Some  of  the  most  stirring  appeals  I 
ever  heard  were  from  him.  I distinctly  see  his  face 
and  hear  his  voice  to-day,  although  more  than  thirty 
years  have  passed  since  he  stood  in  the  midst  of  a 
crowd  in  my  father’s  house,  one  Sabbath  evening, 
and  entreated  the  people  to  be  more  zealous  for  the 
salvation  of  souls.  He  then  told,  with  choked  utter- 
ance and  streaming  eyes,  how  one  of  his  men,  having 
fallen  overboard,  called  out  to  him,  ‘ O captain,  save 
me!  ’ But  he  soon  sank,  and  was  seen  no  more. 
The  appeal  which  followed,  and  the  exhortation  to 
lose  no  time  in  seeking  the  great  salvation,  were  not 
soon  forgotten. 

“Mr.  Ladd  used  to  spend  his  winters  in  travel- 
ing ai)d  lecturing  on  his  favorite  theme.  With  the 
return  of  spring  he  came  back  to  superintend  his 
farm,  and  to  pursue  in  retirement  his  studies,  $uid 
make  preparation  for  another  winter’s  work. 

“ It  was  a day  of  rejoicing,  in  at  least  one  family, 
when  he  returned  ; and  many  a little  face  looked  up 
the  street,  many  times  a day,  to  catch  the  first  sight 
of  his  coming. 


56 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


“But  one  spring,  instead  of  him,  there  came  a 
letter  bringing  the  tidings  that  he  had-  gone  where 
‘ everlasting  spring  abides/  and  he  had  found  a world 
of  peace  ” 

The  preceding  chapter  gives  a view  of  the  public 
labors  of  William  Ladd  up  to  the  formation  of  the 
American  Peace  Society,  and  the  establishment  of 
the  Harbinger  of  Peace  in  1828,  some  eight  years 
after  he  commenced  his  labors  in  the  promotion  of 
the  cause  of  Peace.  The  present  chapter  gives  a 
view  of  his  religious  and  moral  character.  We  have 
seen  how  deeply  he  was  interested  in  the  cause  of 
Peace;  we  now  see  that  he  was  not  a man  of  idea, 
but  as  an  earnest,  elevated  Christian,  was  faithful  in 
the  performance  of  all  his  religious  duties.  We  thus 
become  acquainted  with  the  whole  man,  and  as  we 
proceed  in  a review  of  his  further  labors,  we  shall  be 
the  better  able  to  appreciate  them,  knowing  on  what 
foundation  the  structure  is  built.  In  his  far-reaching 
vision  he  contemplated  the  end  from  the  beginning. 
He  believed  in  the  fulfillment  of  the  prophecy,  and 
that  the  prophecy  of  universal  peace  “must  be 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


57 


brought  about  by  God’s  blessing  on  the  exertions  of 
the  benevolent.”  When  he  first  entered  upon  the 
work  he  found  but  few  coadjutors,  and  it  was  only  by 
his  great  perseverance  and  energy  that  he  obtained 
co-workers.  He  early  conceived  the  necessity  of  a 
National  Society,  as  a means  of  extending  a wide- 
spread influence,  and  thus  enlisting  valuable  assist- 
ance, and  of  dispelling  the  doubts  and  fears  of  the 
incredulous. 

Previous  to  the  establishment  of  the  National 
Society,  many  local  societies  were  established  in  the 
New  England  States,  mainly,  no  doubt,  through  his 
influence.  By  the  increasing  interest  in  the  cause 
produced  by  these  agencies  he  was  greatly  stimulated 
and  encouraged  in  the  further  prosecution  of  the 
work. 


58 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


CHAPTER  V. 


William  Ladd  early  saw  the  necessity  of  a peri- 
odical, and  we  have  seen  that  in  the  same  month  in 
which  the  National  Society  was  formed,  he  com- 
menced the  publication  of  the  Harbinger  of  Peace , 
which  was  continued  three  years,  entirely  under  his 
control;  the  first  and  last  numbers,  as  before  stated, 
in  New  York,  the  others  wherever  it  suited  his  con- 
venience. The  following  extract  from  a private 
letter  gives  a graphic  view  of  his  editorial  labors : 

“I  suppose  you  have  received  the  third  number 
of  the  Harbinger  of  Peace , which  is  not  much  more  free 
from  errors  than  the  preceding.  The  fact  is,  I com- 
pose the  numbers  at  some  leisure  at  home,  run  down 
to  Portland  and  put  them  into  the  hands  of  the 
printer;  and,  heels  over  head  in  business,  while 
there  hurry  the  printers  (for  I can  not  leave  home 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


59 


without  a sacrifice),  get  through  as  soon  as  I can, 
hurry  over  the  proof,  and  hurry  back  home ; and 
when  I get  there,  on  the  receipt  of  the  finished 
numbers  blush  up  to  the  ears,  though  all  alone,  at 

the  errors  which  have  escaped  me  and  others 

The  difficulty  of  printing  at  a distance  of  thirty-five 
miles  is  greater  than  I expected,  and  will  demand  a 
greater  sacrifice ; but  it  must  be  attended  to,  cost 
what  it  may.” 

In  order  to  obtain  relief  from  such  arduous  edit- 
orial labors,  the  Harbinger  was  discontinued  and  the 
Calumet  took  its  place,  as  the  organ  of  the  American 
Peace  Society,  an  octavo  of  thirty-two  pages,  to  be 
published  once  in  every  two  months.  This  was  con- 
tinued for  years  by  a committee  to  whom  the  board 
entrusted  the  editorial  department.  William  Ladd 
says,  although  his  name  will  continue  in  the  com- 
mittee, his  labors  will  be  only  occasional ; but  in  the 
last  number  he  said  : 

“I  continued  to  furnish  most  of  the  original 
matter  and  selections,  until  May,  1833,  when  I expo- 


60 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


rienced  a paralytic  shock  in  New  York,  two  days 
after  the  anniversary  of  the  American  Peace  Society. 
By  the  blessing  of  God  I have  thus  far  recovered 
my  health  as  to  take  the  labor  on  myself,  and  for  all 
the  errors  of  the  last  four  numbers  I alone  am 
responsible.  I have  made  a visit  to  Hartford,  and 
concluded  a treaty  by  which  we  are  to  relinquish 
the  Calumet  after  the  present  number  ; and  the 
American  Advocate  of  Peace  is  to  be  published  for  the 
American  Peace  Society.  My  labors  in  the  publish- 
ing and  editorial  department  of  the  American  Peace 
Society  have  now  come  to  a close,  though  I hope  to 
have  more  leisure  to  extend  my  exertions  as  general 
agent.  I feel  more  encouraged  than  ever  in  the 
good  cause,  more  willing  to  make  sacrifices  of  time 
and  money.” 

During  these  years  of  editorial  labors,  we  find 
that  his  mind  and  pen  were  also  otherwise  actively 
employed. 

In  1830,  he  wrote  a tract  entitled  “Reflections 
on  War,”  which  was  published  by  the  Minot  Peace 
Society.  In  this  tract  he  says  : 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


61 


“Only  to  imagine  the  lambs  of  Christ’s  flock 
biting  and  devouring  each  other ; the  members  of 
Christ’s  body  tearing  each  other  in  pieces  ! O,  how 
horrible  is  the  sight!  Yet  such  sights  are  seen  in 
war.  And  the  Church  of  Christ — the  Lamb’s  wife — 
sits  still,  with  arms  folded,  as  though  her  children 
were  only  at  play,  and  does  not  lift  a finger  to- 
reprove  them.” 

Between  the  years  of  1829  and  1832,  William 
Ladd  wrote  and  published  the  following  books  on 
Peace,  for  the  instruction  of  young  people:  “The 
Sword,  or  Christmas  Presents,”  “Howard  and  Na- 
poleon Contrasted,”  “The  French  Soldier,”  “History 
of  Alexander  the  Great;  ” and  also,  in  the  Harbinger 
of  Peace , and  in  a separate  pamphlet,  a dissertation 
on  a Congress  of  Nations,  being  the  first  work  on 
that  subject  ever  printed  in  America. 

During  the  year  1833,  he  was  almost  con- 
fined at  home  by  sickness,  and  merely  wrote  one 
article  for  the  Giristian  Mirror  on  the  duty  of 
Christians  praying  and  contributing  for  the  cause  of 
Peace. 


62 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


The  following  letter  shows  that  his  interest  did 
not  abate  during  the  long  confinement : 

“ Minot,  April  the  28th,  1834. 

“ To  the  Members  of  the  American  Peace  Society, 
assembled  at  their  Annual  Meeting  in  New  York,  May  the 
6th,  1834. 

“ Dearly  beloved  brethren:  My  health  is  not  yet  suffi- 
ciently restored  to  permit  my  joining  you  in  this  very 
interesting  celebration  ; for  I could  not  be  with  you 
without  great  excitement,  which  my  physicians  caution  me 
as  much  as  possible  to  avoid.  But,  though  absent  in  body, 
I shall  be  present  with  you  in  spirit,  and  intend  to  devote 
a great  part  of  the  day  of  our  anniversary  to  fervent  prayer 
for  the  success  of  our  great  and  holy  cause. 

u And,  brethren,  why  should  we  doubt  for  a moment 
of  our  ultimate  success  ? We  have  God  on  our  side,  and 
can  plead  his  reiterated  and  unequivocal  promise  that  the 
time  shall  come  when  nations  ‘ shall  beat  their  swords  into 
plowshares;  nation  shall  not  lift  up  sword  against  nation, 
neither  shall  they  learn  war  any  more,’  1 for  the  mouth  of 
the  Lord  of  hosts  hath  spoken  it.’ 

Cl  But  it  is  so  ordered  in  providence  that,  generally,  no 
great  good  can  be  accomplished  without  great  sacrifices. 
The  Prince  of  Peace  himself  died  on  the  cross  to  redeem 
mankind  from  a state  of  sin  and  misery,  and  to  banish  war 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


63 


and  every  other  evil  custom  from  the  earth  ; to  proclaim 
peace  on  earth  and  good-will  to  men,  and  his  apostles  laid 
down  their  lives  in  the  same  holy  cause ; and  Stephen,  the 
first  martyr,  prayed  for  his  enemies,  saying,  Lord,  lay  not 
this  sin  to  their  charge ; and  the  primitive  Christians  took 
joyfully  the  spoiling  of  their  goods;  and  in  the  course  of 
one  age  the  gospel  was  preached  to  the  whole  known  world. 
Now,  unless  we  have  the  Spirit  of  Christ  in  us,  we  are  none 
of  his.  Hitherto  our  sacrifices  in  the  cause  of  Peace  have 
been  very  small.  But  little  money,  little  talent,  no  suffer- 
ing of  self-denial,  have  been  expended  in  his  holy  cause ; 
which,  though  regarded  by  the  prejudiced  and  unthinking 
as  the  last  of  all  the  benevolent  operations  of  the  day, 
commends  itself  to  the  unprejudiced  inquirer  after  truth, 
as  indeed  the  first  of  all,  though  it  militates  more  against 
the  pride  of  the  human  heart,  and  all  the  world  calls  good 
and  great,  than  any  other.  Yvrhen  it  is  considered  what 
sins  and  vices  are  promoted  by  the  practice  of  war  among 
Christian  nations,  the  removal  of  the  evil  appears  to  be 
among  the  first  things  for  Christians  to  seek  after. 

“ Impressed  with  these  sentiments,  and  considering 
that  I have  devoted  all  that  I have,  and  all  that  I am,  to 
my  Maker  and  Bedeemer,  and  being  confident  that  this 
holy  cause  is  the  cause  of  God,  I believe  I can  not  do 
better  with  the  little  property  he  has  intrusted  to  my  keep- 
ing than  to  devote  it  to  the  dissemination  of  the  principles 


64 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


of  Peace ; and  I offer  to  give  three  hundred  dollars  a year, 
as  long  as  it  shall  be  necessary,  to  the  extent  of  at  least 
five  years  to  come,  in  aiding  the  support  of  a suitable 
person  as  corresponding  secretary  and  editor  of  the  soci- 
ety’s publications,  and  another  person  to  labor  as  a travel- 
ing and  preaching  agent,  to  lay  this  cause  before  the 
American  churches,  provided  all  the  other  friends  of  Peace 
in  this  country  will  make  up  the  amount  to  the  sum  of  two 
thousand  dollars  a year. 

“ When  the  true  Christians  of  all  nations  shall  join  in 
a concert  of  prayer  for  the  abolition  of  war,  and  the  intro- 
duction of-  the  millennium,  we  can  have  no  doubt  that  they 
will  be  heard  by  our  Heavenly  Father,  and  war,  with  all 
its  sins  and  its  horrors,  will  cease  from  among  Christian 
nations,  and  the  heathen  will  again  have  occasion  to  say, 
‘See  how  these  Christians  love  one  another.’  Then  a nation 
shall  be  born  in  a day,  and  all  mankind  see  the  salvation 
of  God.  To  this  end,  my  dear  brethren,  let  us  labor  and 
pray  without  ceasing  • and  that  God  may  hear  our  petition, 
and  bless  our  labors,  shall  be  the  constant,  fervent  prayer, 
dear  brethren,  of 

Your  fellow-laborer  in  the  cause  of  Peace, 

William  Ladd.” 

In  1834,  William  Ladd  published  a “Solemn 
Appeal  to  Christians  in  favor  of  Peace,”  and,  in 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


65 


1835,  a work  on  “The  Duty  of  Women,”  to  pro- 
mote the  cause  of  Peace. 

“In  September  of  this  year,  he  attended  a 
convention  at  Portland,  consisting  of  seventy-three 
delegates  of  the  most  intelligent  and  best  men  in  the 
State  of  Maine,  which  formed  a union  in  behalf  of 
the  colored  race.  William  Ladd  was  chosen  presi- 
dent of  the  convention  and  also  of  the  union.  The 
purposes  of  this  society  were  very  philanthropic ; 
how  much  it  was  able  to  do  for  the  good  of  this 
unfortunate  and  neglected  race  is  not  known.” 

In  May  of  this  year  Dr.  Humphrey,  president 
©f  Amherst  College,  in  a speech  before  the  London 
Peace  Society,  made  the  following  remarks  : 

u Before  I sit  down,  permit  me  to  say  a word 
respecting  that  Apostle  of  Peace,  William  Ladd. 
He  has  devoted  his  talents,  which  are  not  small, 
and  his  heart,  which  is  very  large,  and  his  property, 
which  is  very  considerable — he  has  devoted  all  to 
this  cause.  Hearing  that  I was  expected  to  visit 
England,  he  came,  in  an  inclement  season  of  the 


66 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


year,  about  one  hundred  miles,  for  the  express  pur- 
pose of  seeing  me,  and  exhorting  me  to  do  whatever 
I could  here  and  everywhere  else  to  promote  the 
cause  of  Peace.  I have  thought  it  but  a bare  act  of 
justice  to  say  that  that  distinguished  philanthropist, 
this  friend  of  his  country,  and  of  your  country,  and 
of  the  world,  is  co-operating  with  you  day  and  night, 
and  devoting  his  all  to  the  promotion  of  permanent 
and  universal  peace.” 

In  1836  and  1837,  William  Ladd  published,  in 
the  Christian  Mirror , twenty-two  essays,  entitled 
“ Obstacles  and  Objections  to  the  Cause  of  Peace.” 
These  able  articles  were  afterward  published  in 
book  form. 

“In  1837,”  says  his  biographer,  “ the  constitu- 
tion of  the  American  Peace  Society  was  revised,  and 
the  high  ground  taken  that  all  war  is  contrary  to 
the  gospel.  This  was  in  full  accordance  with  the 
sentiments  and  wishes  of  Mr.  Ladd,  as  well  as  nearly 
all  of  the  influential  and  prominent  friends  of  Peace. 
President  Allen,  of  Bowdoin  College,  however,  was 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


67 


strongly  opposed  to  this  change  ; and  he,  an  honest 
and  able  man,  measured  his  sword  with  William 
Ladd  on  this  question.  All  candid  and  intelligent 
persons  who  have  reviewed  this  encounter,  must  be 
of  the  opinion  that  the  president  of  the  college,  at 
the  best,  came  out  of  the  contest  only  second  best.” 

William  Ladd  also  wrote  four  articles  on  the 
practice  of  the  primitive  Christians  in  regard  to  war, 
to  confute  the  arguments  of  “A.”  (doubtless  Presi- 
dent Allen),  in  the  Mirror , who  maintained  that  the 
early  Christians  engaged  in  war.  In  the  conflict 
“ Fhilanthropos”  brought  forward  facts  from  history 
which  “ A.”  could  “ neither  gainsay  nor  resist.” 

He  also,  in  the  year  1837,  wrote  nine  articles 
for  the  Christian  Mirror , addressed  to  ministers  of 
the  gospel,  in  which  he  endeavored  to  awaken  and 
instruct  them  in  their  duty  to  the  cause  of  Peace. 

He  also  addressed  a letter  to  William  IV,  of 
England,  on  International  Peace,  which  was  replied 
fo  by  Lord  Palmerston,  saying  : 


68 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


“The  king  has  been  very  much  gratified  by  the 
friendly  and  approving  expressions  contained  in  the 
address.” 

His  pastor  states,  that  “afier  lecturing  for  many 
years,  he  became  desirous  of  addressing  congregations 
on  the  Sabbath,  because,  especially  in  country  towns, 
a larger  assembly  could  on  that  day  be  gathered ; and 
finding  that  Christians  objected  that  one  who  was  not 
a minister  should  occupy  the  pulpit  on  the  Sabbath, 
he,  therefore,  desired  and  obtained  license  to  preach.” 
This  was  in  1837.  In  this  year,  Lovejoy,  of  Alton, 
111.,  was  killed  while  endeavoring  to  repel  a lawless 
body  of  men  who  assaulted  his  house  for  the  purpose 
of  destroying  his  printing  press.  William  Ladd 
wrote  an  article  in  the  Christian  Mirror,  showing  that 
Lovejoy  departed  from  the  true  Christian  course  by 
resorting  to  carnal  weapons  for  defense,  saying,  “he 
took  the  sword  and  perished  by  the  sword.” 

In  conclusion,  he  says  : 

“I  would  not  be  thought  to  palliate  or  justify 
any  single  act  of  the  mob  at  Alton.  I look  upon 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


69 


their  conduct  with  pity  and  abhorrence ; but  I would 
not  give  up  the  plain  principles  of  the  gospel  to 
support  the  cause  of  anti-slavery  or  any  other  cause. 
The  principles  of  peace,  long  suffering,  gentleness, 
forbearance,  meekness,  and,  in  fine,  the  principles  of 
and  examples  of  Christ,  should  lie  at  the  foundation 
of  every  benevolent  effort.” 


70 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

In  the  previous  chapter,  William  L$dd  refers  to 
a visit  to  Hartford,  but  only  alludes  to  his  treaty  by 
which  the  Advocate  of  Peace  was  to  take  pkce  of  the 
Calumet . In  allusion  to  that  visit,  the  editor  of  the 

Advocate  writes: 

“This  city  has  recently  been  honored  with  a 
visit  from  the  general  agent  of  the  American  Peace 
Society.  During  the  few  days  he  passed  here  in 
making  some  arrangements  relative  to  the  publications 
of  the  society,  this  indefatigable  servant  of  God,  who, 
to  use  his  own  words,  ‘ counts  that  day  lost  in  which 
he  has  not  done  something  for  the  cause  of  Peace/ 
delivered  five  public  lectures,  in  three  instances  to 
large  congregations,  and  contributed  much,  also,  by 
private  conversation,  to  awaken  an  interest  in  this 
subject During  the  fourteen  years  that 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


71 


have  elapsed  since  Mr.  Ladd’s  attention  was  awakened 
to  this  subject,  his  labors  have  been  unceasing,  and 
very  various.” 

In  a previous  number  of  the  Advocate  the  editor, 
under  the  head  of  “ Peace  Societies,”  writes: 

“The  American  Peace  Society  held  its  sixth 
annual  meeting  in  New  York,  on  the  6th  of  May 
last.  The  report  was  highly  interesting,  and  proved 
that  the  cause  is  advancing.  Within  the  past  year 
most  of  the  large  ecclesiastical  bodies  of  New  England 
have  passed  resolutions  favorable  to  the  objects  of 
the  society,  and  two  hundred  and  sixteen  clergymen 
of  various  denominations  have  engaged  to  preach  on 
the  subject  at  least  once  a year.  A prize  of  one 
thousand  dollars  has  been  offered  for  the  best  essay 
on  a ‘ Congress  of  Nations’ ; the  time  for  presenting 
them  is  extended  to  the  20th  of  June.  Addresses 
were  made  by  the  Eev.  Messrs.  Galutia,  of  Utica ; 
Hicock,  of  Litchfield,  Connecticut;  Dr,  Cogswell,  of 
Boston;  A.  Stewart,  Esq.,  of  Utica;  and  E.  M. 
Chapman,  Esq.  A letter  from  William  Ladd  was 


72 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


read,  excusing  his  absence  on  account  of  ill  health, 
and  offering  three  hundred  dollars  a year  toward 
the  support  of  an  editor  and  agent.” 

In  the  Advocate  of  the  following  year  we  find  a 
long  and  interesting  report  of  the  Executive  Com- 
mittee, presented  to  the  seventh  anniversary  of 
the  American  Peace  Society.  At  the  close  they 
state  : 


“We  have  had  more  of  an  encouraging  nature 
to  report  than  ever  before.  Never  in  any  one  year 
has  the  cause  of  Peace  advanced  so  much.  Both 
wind  and  tide  have  been  propitious.” 

In  regard  to  the  prize  essays,  it  says : 

“Thirty-seven  dissertations,  many  of  them  very 
voluminous  and  well-written,  were  presented  for  the 
prize.  They  were  submitted  to  a sub-committee 
named  by  the  board  of  directors,  who  selected  seven 
from  the  number,  to  be  submitted  to  the  high  per- 
sonages who  have  consented  to  act  as  umpires,  viz: 


WILLIAM  LADD.  7& 

the  Hon.  Joseph  Story,  the  Hon*  ^/^t^nd' 

the  Hon.  John  McLean.” 

These  men  could  not  decide  on  any  one,  and 
recommended  that  the  award  should  be  divided 
between  five  of  the  best  essays.  This  not  being 
united  with,  they  were  referred  to  another  com- 
mittee. 

The  following  paragraph  refers  to  the  labors  of 
the  general  agent : 

“In  speaking  of  what  more  immediately  concerns 
the  American  Peace  Society,  we  are  happy  to  report 
that  the  health  of  our  general  agent  is,  thank  God, 
perfectly  restored,  in  consequence  of  which  he  has 
resumed  his  labors  in  the  cause  of  Peace.  He  has 
traveled,  since  the  last  anniversary,  in  the  service  of 
the  cause,  about  one  thousand  three  hundred  miles. 
He  has  delivered  forty  public  addresses  ; edited  and 
distributed  four  numbers  of  the  Calumet;  collected 
nine  hundred  and  sixty-two  dollars  and  twenty-six 
cents  for  the  society,  and  procured  eight  life  mem- 


74  WILLIAM  LADD. 

C C C c C C r C C C C 

c cc  c €'  c c : c c r 

pledges  for  others,  besides  writing 
numerous  essays  for  the  newspapers,  and  keeping  up 
an  extensive  correspondence.  All  these  things  have 
been  done  without  any  expense  to  the  society,  except 
that  of  postage.” 

Can  there  be  any  better  evidence  of  sincerity 
and  earnest  zeal  and  faithful  labors  in  the  promotion 
of  the  cause  of  Peace  than  in  the  above  record?  Let 
the  peace  men  of  to-day  ponder  it  well. 

We  pass  over  many  interesting  incidents  in  the 
life  of  William  Ladd,  and  come  to  his  darling  object 
— the  Congress  of  Nations.  As  before  stated,  the 
first  committee  not  being  able  to  agree  on  the  best 
essay,  they  were  referred  to  a second,  viz : John 
Quincy  Adams,  James  Kent,  and  Daniel  Webster ; 
and  they  were  also  unable  to  decide  the  question. 
The  peace  society  therefore  concluded  to  accept  the 
proposal  of  the  first  committee,  and  published  the 
five  best,  and  requested  William  Ladd  to  add  a sixth, 
taking  all  the  matter  from  the  rejected  essays  worth 
preserving,  which  is  not  contained  in  the  essays 
selected  for  publication.  He  says : 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


75 


“I  have  attended  to  this  duty.  In  reading 
over  these  essays  I have  noted  down  every  thought 
worth  preserving;  and  I present  them  here  in  a body, 
with  such  reflections,  additions,  and  historical  facts 
as  occurred  to  me  during  my  labor;  so  that  my  claim 
to  originality  in  this  production  rests  much  on  the 
thought  of  separating  the  subjects  into  two  distinct 
parts,  viz : 

“1.  A Congress  of  Ambassadors  from  all  those 
Christian  and  civilized  nations  we  should  choose  to 
send  them,  for  the  purpose  of  settling  the  principles 
of  international  law  by  compact  and  agreement,  of 
the  nature  of  mutual  treaty,  and  also  of  devising  and 
promoting  plans  for  the  preservation  of  peace,  and 
ameliorating  the  condition  of  man. 

“2.  A Court  of  Nations,  composed  of  the  most 
able  civilians  in  the  world,  to  arbitrate  or  judge  such 
cases  as  should  be  brought  before  it,  by  the  mutual 
consent  of  two  or  more  contending  nations : thus 
dividing  entirely  the  diplomatic  from  the  judicial 
functions,  which  require  such  different,  not  to  say 
opposite  characters  in  the  exercise  of  their  functions. 
I consider  the  congress  as  the  legislature,  and  the 


76 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


court  as  the  judiciary,  in  the  government  of  nations, 
leaving  the  functions  of  the  executive  with  public 
opinion,  * the  queen  of  the  world.’ 

‘ 4 This  division  I have  never  seen  in  any  essay 
or  plan  for  a Congress  or  Diet  of  independent  nations, 
either  ancient  or  modern ; and  I believe  it  wiU 
obviate  all  the  objections  which  have  been  heretofore 
made  to  auch  a plan.” 

Dr.  Beckwith  thus  wrote  in  regard  to  the  essay 
of  William  Ladd : 

‘‘This  work,  first  published  here  in  1840,  and 
soon  after  by  the  London  Peace  Society,  is  by  far  the 
most  comprehensive  and  satisfactory  discussion  we 
have  ever  seen  of  its  great  theme.  It  was  prepared 
by  special  request  of  our  society,  to  embrace  whatever 
was  the  most  valuable  in  the  forty  essays  that  com- 
peted for  a prize  of  one  thousand  dollars,  and  is  worth 
more  than  all  of  them  put  together.  No  one  desir- 
ous of  investigating  the  far-reaching  and  vastly 
important  subject  of  which  it  treats,  can  afford  to 
overlook  this  valuable  work.” 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


77 


Says  Elihu  Burritt : 

“When  we  consider  that  such  a permanent 
High  Court  of  Nations  would  not  only  be  the  noblest 
and  loftiest  bar  that  could  be  established  on  earth  for 
the  appeal  and  settlement  of  all  serious  questions  of 
difficulty  between  them,  but  that  such  a bar  would 
be  a bond  of  confederation  to  them,  we  must  recog- 
nize the  fullness  of  Mr.  Ladd’s  plan  for  abolishing’ 
war,  and  establishing  permanent  and  universal 
peace.” 

The  six  essays  were  published  in  one  volume, 
which  Burritt  says  “was  the  largest  and  most  costly 
volume  ever  published  on  either  side  of  the  Atlantic 
on  the  subject  of  Peace.  As  soon  as  it  left  the  press, 
Mr.  Ladd  set  himself  to  the  work  of  distributing 
copies  to  the  crowned  heads  and  leading  men  of 
Christendom,  with  all  the  glowing  zeal  and  activity 
which  he  brought  to  the  cause.  And  it  is  the  best 
tribute  to  his  clear,  judicious  mind  that  the  main 
proposition,  as  he  developed  it,  has  been  pressed 
upon  the  consideration  of  the  public  mind  of  Chris1- 


78 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


tendom  ever  since  liis  day,  without  amendment, 
addition,  or  subtraction.  The  writer  of  these  intro- 
ductory notes,  who  was  one  of  Mr.  Ladd’s  disciples 
and  successors,  felt  it  his  duty  to  present  the  proposi- 
tion, pure  and  simple,  as  his  master  developed  it,  at 
the  great  Peace  Congress  at  Brussels,  Paris,  Frank- 
fort, and  London;  and  to-day  it  stands  before  the 
world,  the  scheme  of  William  Ladd.” 

William  Ladd’s  essay  is  divided  into  fifteen 
short  chapters.  The  last  concludes  as  follows  : 

“In  conclusion  I would  only  remark,  that  if  we 
have  done  no  other  good,  by  procuring  and  publishing 
these  essays,  we  have  set  up  a landmark  for  the 
guidance  of  those  who  may  succeed  us.  When  the 
American  Peace  Society  first  entered  upon  this  work 
there  were  only  two  essays  in  the  whole  world  on  the 
subject,  viz:  William  Penn’s  and  St.  Pierre’s,  both 
very  meagre,  crude,  and  undigested.  Beside  these, 
we  had  only  what  could  be  gathered  from  Sully’s 
account  of  the  great  scheme  of  Henry  IV.  Now, 
within  these  ten  years  there  have  been  about  fifty 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


79 


dissertations  written,  many  lectures  delivered,  and 
petitions  presented  to  state  legislatures,  and  resolu- 
tions favorable  to  the  plan  passed.  Petitions  have 
also  been  presented  to  the  American  Congress,  with 
a report  on  them  widely  circulated,  and  a petition  to 
the  British  Parliament ; and  the  subject  has  been 
much  discussed,  both  in.  public  and  private,  and 
there  has  been  evidently  a great  advance  in  public 
opinion  in  favor  of  the  plan,  which  needs  only  to  be 
fully  and  extensively  understood  to  insure  its 
adoption  by  all  the  enlightened  nations  of  Christen- 
dom; which  adoption  will  insure  the  extension  of 
Christendom  to  the  earth’s  remotest  bounds.” 

The  establishment  of  a Congress  of  Nations 
appears  to  have  been  a prominent  object  with  the 
founders  of  the  American  Peace  Society,  but  their 
notions  on  the  subject  were  crude  and  undigested ; 
and  William  Ladd  says: 

“ It  has  been  by  constantly  thinking,  writing, 
and  speaking  on  this  subject  for  eleven  years,  that 
their  ideas  have  got  to  be  more  mature;  and  they 


80 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


now  see  that  a distinction  ought  to  be  made  between 
a Congress  of  Ambassadors  and  a Court  of  Judges.” 

Previous  to  the  publication  of  the  volume  of 
essays,  the  subject  had  been  brought  before  congress 
by  numerous  petitions,  which  were  referred  to  the 
Committee  on  Foreign  Affairs,  which  made  a long 
report,  and  ten  thousand  copies  were  ordered  to  be 
printed.  They  report  adversely  to  a Congress  of 
Nations,  but  they  “ heartily  concur  with  the  memori- 
alists in  recommending  a reference  to  a third  power  of 
all  such  controversies  as  can  be  safely  confided  to  any 
tribunal  unknown  to  the  constitution  of  our  owrn 
country.” 

William  Ladd,  who  took  a journey  to  Wash- 
ington to  attend  to  the  business,  says  he  had  a special 
interview  with  the  president,  and  conversed  with 
some  of  the  leading  members  of  congress ; from  all  of 
whom  he  gathered  what  indeed  he  knew  before,  that 
“ if  the  rulers  in  representative  governments  are  to  be 
induced  to  adopt  any  new  measure  of  public  ability, 
it  must  be  through  their  constituents.”  .... 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


81 


“ Before  either  the  President  or  Congress  of  the 
United  States  will  act  on  this  subject,  the  sovereign 
people  must  act;  and  before  they  act,  they  must  be 
acted  upon  by  the  friends  of  peace,  and  the  subject 
must  be  laid  before  the  people  in  all  parts  of  our 
country,  as  much  as  it  has  been  done  in  Massachu- 
setts, where  there  has,  probably,  been  as  much  said 
and  done  on  the  subject  as  in  all  the  other  states  of 
the  Union.  When  the  whole  country  shall  under- 
stand the  subject  as  well  as  the  State  of  Massachusetts, 
the  Congress  of  the  United  States  will  be  as  favorable 
to  a Congress  of  Nations  as  the  General  Court  of 
Massachusetts ; and  when  the  American  Government 
shall  take  up  the  subject  in  earnest,  it  will  begin  to 
be  studied  and  understood  by  the  enlightened  nations 
of  Europe.” 

Under  a sense  of  these  convictions,  William  Ladd 
no  doubt  felt  the  necessity,  greater  than  ever  before, 
of  pressing  the  subject  upon  the  minds  of  the  people. 
He  therefore  made  preparations  for  another  journey, 
and  of  greater  extent  than  any  previous  one,  and 
which  proved  to  be  the  last. 


82 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


CHAPTER  VII. 


The  first  letter  giving  an  account  of  the  last 
journey  of  William  Ladd,  is  dated  “ Albany,  N.  Y., 
October  15,  1840,”  in  which  he  says  he  left  Boston 
on  September  30th.  After  describing  his  journey, 
he  concludes  as  follows : 

“In  all  my  journeys  thus  far,  I have  found  the  pulpits 
open  to  me,  and  a great  desire  to  hear  about  peace.  This 
is  a great  advance  on  former  times,  and  shows  the  progress 
of  peace  principles.  Not  long  since,  peace  was  considered 
a temporal  subject  only,  not  suitable  to  the  Sabbath.  Even 
now,  I believe,  there  are  some  ministers  who  think  Christ’s 
Sermon  on  the  Mount — the  first  peace  sermon  ever  preached 
— rather  ultra.  Such  men  like  to  preach  in  abstractions 
against  sins  in  general,  and  their  audiences  go  to  sleep 
under  their  preaching.  A rumseller  never  goes  to  sleep 
under  a faithful  sermon  from  the  text,  ‘Cursed  is  every 
one  who  putteth  a bottle  to  his  neighbor’s  mouth.’  ” 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


83 


The  next  letter  is  dated  “Troy,  October  28th. ” 
After  describing  the  interest  awakened,  he  con- 
cludes : 

“ Thus,  you  see,  we  have  passed  through  the  ordeal  of 
ridicule  and  contempt,  and  have  almost  passed  the  more 
chilling  state  of  indifference.  Both  the  church  and  the 
world  begin  to  awaken  to  the  subject.  But  still  a great 
deal  of  labor  and  sacrifice  is  necessary  to  complete  the 
work.  I feel  the  infirmities  of  age,  yet  hope  to  see  the 
Church  of  the  Prince  of  Peace  adopt  the  principles  of 
peace,  as  part  and  parcel , at  least , if  not  the  sum  and  substance 
of  the  gospel.  Then  I should  say,  with  old  Simeon,  1 Lord, 
now  lettest  thou  thy  servant  depart  in  peace/  For,  if  the 
church  go  before  with  the  silver  trumpet  of  the  gospel,  the 
world  will  follow  with  the  congress  of  nations,  and  they 
willfbeat  their  swords  into  plowshares  and  learn  war  no 
more.” 

The  next  letter  is  dated  “ Auburn,  December 
25th,”  in  which  he  says  : 

“ On  Sunday  I preached  at  the  Baptist,  the  Presbyte- 
rian, and  the  Congregational  churches.  The  evening  meet- 
ing was  very  crowded,  notwithstanding  the  storm.” 


84 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


“Canandaigua,  N.  Y.,  February  3,  1841. 

“ My  last  letter,  I believe,  was  written  at  Auburn. 
From  thence  I went  to  Geneva,  and  preached  three  times 
on  the  Sabbath,  as  usual  to  large  and  attentive  audiences. 
But  my  strength  failed  me  in  the  last  sermon,  which  was  to 
an  overflowing  audience,  and  I was  obliged  to  request  the 
minister  to  give  out  a hymn  in  the  middle  of  the  sermon, 
which  was  an  hour  and  a half  long.  On  the  first  Monday 
of  the  year,  I addressed  the  monthly  concert,  and  showed 
the  obstacles  which  war  throws  in  the  way  of  the  conver- 
sion of  the  heathen.  On  Wednesday  evening  I lectured 
on  a Congress  of  Nations ; and,  on  Thursday,  went  to 
Canandaigua.  Here  I was  most  hospitably  entertained  in 
the  seminary,  under  the  care  of  Misses  Upham  and  Smith. 
On  Sunday  I preached  to  the  Baptists,  the  Methodists,  and 
the  Congregationalists ; but  at  the  last  two  I was  obliged 
to  sit  on  a high  stool  in  the  pulpit.  I gave  out  a notice  for 
a lecture,  Monday  evening,  in  the  courthouse.  On  return- 
ing to  my  lodgings,  I found  my  strength  completely  pros- 
trated. On  Monday,  I grew  still  weaker;  and  when  eve- 
ning came,  my  friends  remonstrated  against  my  lecturing, 
especially  as  the  night  was  dark  and  rainy,  and  the  going 
muddy.  I sent  a messenger  to  the  courthouse  to  adjourn 
the  meeting  to  a more  favorable  time,  but  he  returned 
with  the  intelligence  that  it  was  already  half  full.  I 
petermined  on  going,  come  what  would.  A carriage  being 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


85 


provided,  I went,  but  nearly  fainted  before  I finished  my 
lecture.  I returned  under  great  debility,  and  called  in 
medical  advice.  The  doctor  told  me  I had  overdone  my- 
self, and  that  I was  ten  years  older  in  constitution  than  in 
years.  Indeed,  I am  compelled  to  feel  that  I am  an  old 
man.  O,  that  I had  another  life  to  devote  to  the  holy 
cause  of  Peace ! It  appears  to  me  that  I never  understood 
its  beauty  and  its  excellency  until  now ; and  perhaps  yet  I 
am  far  below  the  truth.  It  is  a cause  to  die  for  ; and  when 
I die,  let  it  be  in  the  pulpit  pleading  for  Peace.  It  is  to 
me  the  field  of  glory — the  field  on  which  my  Savior  died. 

“I  have  reason  to  praise  God,  that,  if  I must  have 
broken  down  in  this  holy  cause  so  far  from  home,  it  was 
just  here.  The  ladies  of  the  institution  have  been  as 
kind  to  me  as  sisters,  although  I do  not  remember  ever  to 
have  seen  one  of  them  before.  It  must,  therefore,  be  out 
of  love  to  the  cause  and  not  personally  to  me,  and  that 
makes  me  the  more  grateful.  No  wounded  red-cross 
knight  of  the  olden  times  was  ever  more  tenderly  nursed 
in  a convent  of  the  Sisters  of  Charity  than  I have  been  by 
these  ladies.  May  the  blessings  which  the  Prince  of  Peace 
pronounced  on  the  peacemakers  be  their  reward. 

“ After  more  than  a fortnight  confinement  to  my  bed, 
I sat  up  a while  the  day  before  yesterday;  and  yesterday 
all  day.  To-day  I feel  strong,  and  to-morrow,  or  next  day, 
hope  to  go  on  my  way  rejoicing  to  the  West.  But  I have 


86 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


given  up  my  long-expected  journey  to  Ohio.  May  God 
speedily  raise  up  some  other  and  better  messenger  of 
peace,  to  take  my  place.  1 Let  him  send  by  the  hand  of 
him  by  whom  he  will  send.’  I hope  to  be  able  to  retrace  my 
steps  in  March,  and  to  be  at  home  about  the  first  of  April.” 

The  following  is  an  extract  from  a letter  written 
the  next  day : 

“ How  few  of  the  professed  followers  of  Him  who 
laid  down  his  life  to  redeem  the  souls  of  his  enemies,  act 
as  though  they  believed  the  soul  to  be  infinitely  precious  ! 
How  many  there  are  of  the  professed  followers  of  Jesus 
who,  both  speculatively  and  practically,  set  the  temporal 
good  of  themselves  and  their  nation  above  the  value  of 
souls ! I do  not  mean  of  their  own  souls . No  man  would 
give  his  own  soul  for  the  good  of  his  country,  nor  does 
Christianity  require  him  to  do  it.  But  how  many  are 
there  of  professed  Christians  who  would  coolly  take  meas- 
ures, which  they  are  sure  will  result  in  the  loss  of  ten 
thousand  souls,  to  save  to  their  nation  some  temporal  good  ? ” 

The  next  letter  is  dated  “Rochester,  March  19, 
18  41.”  He  had  previously  been  to  Batavia,  Lock- 
port,  and  Buffalo  ; also  to  Niagara  Falls.  He  says  : 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


87 


“ On  the  Sabbath,  which  I spent  here,  it  was  sacra- 
ment day,  and  I preached  a peace  sermon  adapted  to  the 
occasion.  Thirty  persons  were  received  into  the  church  by 
profession.  At  the  request  of  the  minister,  I addressed 
the  whole  church,  and  the  new  converts  in  particular,  on 
the  solemnity  of  the  occasion.  They  had  partaken  of  the 
emblems  of  the  broken  body  and  shed  blood  of  their  Re- 
deemer, broken  and  shed  for  his  enemies.  They  would 
exclude  from  their  communion  any  member  who  would 
fight  a private  duel.  But,  though  Christ’s  table  is  all  over 
the  world,  if  a thousand  Christians  should  fight  with  a 
thousand  Christians  of  another  country,  and  kill  one-half 
of  them,  instead  of  being  excluded  from  the  communion, 
they  would  be  received  with  honor.  I reminded  those 
who  had  just  taken  the  vows  of  God  upon  themselves, 
that  in  promising  never  to  enter  into  any  employment  in 
which  they  would  be  required  to  violate  the  Sabbath,  they 
had  virtually  promised  never  to  enter  into  military  service  ; 
for  war  acknowledged  no  Sabbath.  A revival  season  is 
the  best  time  to  preach  peace.” 


In  reference  to  his  visit  to  Niagara  Falls,  where 
he  lectured  on  a Congress  of  Nations,  after  describing 
his  various  views  of  the  Falls,  and  the  impressions 
made  on  his  mind,  he  says  : 


88 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


“ But  my  journey  here  was  not  on  account  of  any 
other  fall  than  the  fall  of  man,  nor  to  examine  any  other 
rapids  than  the  rapids  of  human  passions,  which  have, 
ever  since  the  fall  of  Adam,  been  hurrying  fallen  man  into 
the  abyss  of  misery.” 

The  following  concludes  the  published  corres- 
pondence : 

“ I have  great  reason  to  1 thank  God  and  take  courage’ 
at  the  result  of  my  tour  to  Buffalo.  I had  been  told  that 
there  was  so  great  a war  excitement  in  Batavia,  Lockport, 
and  Buffalo,  that  1 might  expect  only  total  neglect  or  bad 
usage.  But  I was  never  heard  with  more  attention,  treated 
with  more  respect,  or  did  more  for  the  cause  of  Peace,  in 
the  same  length  of  time,  than  I did  in  these  three  places.”* 

Elihu  Burritt,  in  the  “ Introductory  Notes,” 
thus  alludes  to  this  last  journey : 

“He  evidently  felt  that  his  last  tour  through 
Central  and  Western  New  York  was  to  close  his 
public  labor  in  the  cause  he  loved  so  well.  The 

* We  have  no  farther  account  of  his  journey,  or  his  labors,  from 
his  own  pen. 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


89 


reader  must  peruse  the  narrative  of  this  last  journey 
with  peculiar  interest  and  sympathy.  The  writer, 
happening  to  follow  him  through  these  towns  the 
next  year,  learned  the  precious  memory  he  had  left. 
There  were  many  who  remembered  and  told  how 
the  dear  old  man  grew  more  and  more  earnest  as  his 
strength  waxed  weaker  and  weaker ; how,  when  his 
paralytic  limbs  became  unable  to  sustain  him,  he 
would  stand  on  his  knees  in  the  pulpit,  and,  with 
his  beaming  face  just  above  the  desk,  pour  out  his 
trembling  utterances  upon  the  breathless  audience. 
Young  men  then,  but  in  gray  hairs  now,  still  remem- 
ber those  utterances,  and  the  voice  and  face  of  the 
Apostle  of  Peace,  saying  his  last  words  to  a genera- 
tion to  whom  he  was  resigning  the  work  and  mission 
of  his  life.” 

A minister  of  the  Methodist  church  writes, 
four  years  after  William  Ladd’s  death  : 

“X  have  just  returned  from  a tour  through 
AVestern  New  York.  I met  with  some  of  the  fruits 
of  the  labors  of  the  late  devoted,  self-sacrificing 


90 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


Ladd.  His  last  address  on  Peace  was  at  Cazenovia 
Seminary.  I learned  by  Professor  Clark,  who  heard 
him  at  that  time,  and  who  was  himself  convinced  of 
the  truth  of  the  Peace  principles,  that  much  fruit 
still  remains  as  the  result  of  his  labors.  Surely  he 
did  not  labor  in  vain.  Many  there  call  him  blessed. 
The  history  of  the  Peace  cause  is  interesting,  as 
connected  with  that  seminary  and  the  last  efforts  of 
Ladd.” 


“ We  now  approach,”  says  his  biographer,  “ the 
peaceful  close  of  this  good  man’s  life  on  earth.  After 
leaving  the  State  of  New  York  for  his  home  in 
Minot,  Me.,  he  tarried  several  days  in  Boston,  and 
then  proceeded  to  Portsmouth,  N.  H.,  by  railroad, 
where  he  arrived  at  half-past  7 p.  m.  on  the  9 th  of 
April,  1841.  He  spent  the  evening  pleasantly  in 
conversation  with  his  wife  and  some  other  fries ds; 
but  remarked,  in  course  of  the  conversation,  that  he 
could  live  but  a few  months  at  most.  This  his  wife 
did  not  hear.  As  he  retired,  about  10  o’clock,  she 
said  to  him,  ‘Now  let  us  kneel  down,  and  thank 
God  that  you  are  safe  returned.’  They  knelt,  and 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


91 


prayed  fervently.  Immediately  on  lying  down,  he 
felt  the  approach  of  death,  and  spoke  to  his  wife ; 
but  before  a physician  could  be  called,  his  spirit  had 
fled  to  join  the  ‘spirits  of  just  men  made  perfect/ 
where  praise  is  everlasting,  and  ‘love  is  joy  forever/ 
Thus  suddenly  and  gently  was  he  transferred  from 
prayer  to  praise.” 


52 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


Those  who  have  followed  us  to  the  close  of  the 
life  of  this  good  man,  will,  I trust,  be  prepared  to 
say  with  his  biographer,  that  “A  more  devoted 
philanthropist  than  William  Ladd  our  world  never 
saw.  His  all — body,  mind,  affections,  time,  talents, 
prayers,  labors,  property — were  consecrated  to  God 
for  the  good  of  man  in  the  cause  of  Peace.  He  was 
the  first  president  of  the  American  Peace  Society ; 
its  first  corresponding  secretary  ; its  first  general 
agent;  and  the  first  editor  of  its  first  periodical. 
Dr.  Beckwith  says  : ‘ His  purse,  and  no  other,  was 
pledged  for  its  bills  ; and  long  did  he  issue  its 
appeals,  and  deliver  its  lectures,  and  circulate  its 
publications,  and  carry  on  its  operations  with  little 
more  aid  from  the  community  than  their  consent 
that  he  might  manage  the  cause  very  much  as  he 
pleased,  and  their  occasional  commendations  of  its 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


93 

incomparable  perseverance  and  zeal.  It  is  not  too 
much  to  say,  that  had  it  not  been  for  William  Ladd, 
there  is  no  good  reason  to  believe  that  there  would 
have  been  established,  to  this  day,  a National  Peace 
Society.  ’ ” 

“ It  is  sweet  to  look  forward  to  that  blessed 
period  in  the  coming  ages  of  time,  when  love  and 
peace  shall  be  co-extensive  with  the  dwelling-place 
of  man.  Then,  beneficence  shall  be  the  hight  of 
human  glory.  Then,  the  name  of  William  Ladd 
shall  be  in  grateful  remembrance,  as  one  of  the 
worthiest  and  most  honored  characters  to  be  found 
recorded  in  the  history  of  man.  It  is  comforting 
to  look  forward  to  ‘ that  latter  day  of  glory/  al- 
though the  philanthropist  has  to  look  with  sighs  and 
tearful  eyes  beyond  lowering  clouds  of  war,  and  over 
the  prostrate  forms  of  the  many  worshipers  of  mili- 
tary glory,  to  that  blissful  day,  distant  though  it 
may  be. 

“Now  violence  and  destruction  abound  in  the 
earth,  and  the  military  hero  and  conqueror  is  the 
light  and  the  glory  of  nations,  and  the  people  of 
peace  are  ‘a  little  one/  But  it  shall  not  always  be 


94 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


so.  Earth,  as  one  whole  land,  shall  yet,  rejoice  in 
Messiah’s  reign  of  universal  peace  and  love.  Glory 
forever  to  him  who  hath  said,  ‘I  will  make  thine 
officers  peace,  and  thine  exactors  righteousness. 
Violence  shall  no  more  be  heard  in  thy  land,  wast- 
ing, nor  destruction  within  thy  borders;  but  thou 
shall  call  thy  walls  salvation  and  thy  gates  praise.’” 

In  the  Rev.  Asa  Cummings,  editor  of  the 
Christian  Mirren',  William  Ladd  always  had  a friend 
and  coadjutor.  His  paper  was  ever  open  to  receive 
his  contributions,  and  no  one,  perhaps,  felt  more 
keenly  the  great  loss  himself,  personally,  and  the 
public,  had  sustained  in  his  death ; which  is  thus 
alluded  to  in  his  paper : 

“A  report  wTas  in  circulation  here  on  Monday 
that  Mr.  Ladd,  a friend  of  God  and  man,  had 
suddenly  deceased.  We  could  not  think  such  an 
event  inevitable,  but  still  hoped  the  rumor  would 
prove  premature  ; but  on  Tuesday  morning  the 
mournful  intelligence  W’as  confirmed.  We  can  not 
give  expression  to  our  feelings  at  this  time,  except 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


95 


in  prayer,  ‘ Help,  Lord,  for  the  godly  man  ceaseth.' 
We  shall  not  soon  tire  of  seeing  this  good  man’s 
name  in  our  paper.” 

The  following  tribute  is  from  the  Portsmouth 
Journal : 

“Mr.  Ladd  was  one  of  the  most  eminent  phi- 
lanthropists of  our  country;  and  his  name  will  be 
held  in  lasting  remembrance  by  all  the  friends  of 
humanity.  His  private  character  and  Christian 
deportment  were  well  known  to  the  people  of  this 
place,  by  whom  he  was  greatly  beloved ; and  it 
affords  us  a mournful  satisfaction  that  his  remains 
rest  in  our  midst.” 

A letter  from  Hon.  Amasa  Walker,  dated  Feb- 
ruary 5,  1872,  remarks  : 

“Mr.  Ladd  was  wholly  consecrated  to  his  work. 
There  was  no  reserve,  no  hesitation,  no  doubt.  Of 
its  ultimate  triumph  he  never  entertained  a question, 
though  acting  under  what,  to  other  minds,  would 


96 


"WILLIAM  LADD. 


have  been  regarded  as  hopelessly  discouraging.  He 
would  write,  he  would  print,  and  he  used  to  say, 
jocosely,  'he  would  read,  if  nobody  else  would,  what 
was  written  on  his  great  theme. 

“ Mr.  Ladd  early  discovered  what  the  special 
object  to  be  secured  by  the  friends  of  permanent 
and  universal  peace  was,  viz:  International  action ; 
mutual  agreement ; a High  Court  of  Arbitration  ; 
and  a Congress  of  Nations ; as  the  means  by  which 
this  result  should  be  secured. 

"Mr.  Ladd  saw  that  here  was  the  laboring 
point,  and  to  this  he  directed  a large  part  of  his 
labors,  by  correspondence  abroad  and  at  home,  and 
thus  laid  the  foundation  of  a structure  w7hich  already 
begins  to  rise  to  the  view  of  mankind. 

" The  wrorld  can  never  have  peace  while  nations 
are  constantly  preparing  for  war.  A mutual,  simul- 
taneous disarmament  is  the  first  condition  of  uni- 
versal peace.  To  secure  such  a disarmament,  nations 
must  act  in  concert;  to  secure  united  action,  they 
must  meet  in  council,  and  arrange  the  necessary 
preliminaries. 

"Hence,  a general  Congress  cf  Nations  is  indis- 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


97 


pensable,  in  order  that  the  first  effective  movement 
in  favor  of  permanent  peace  may  be  made. 

“To  that  single  object  the  friends  of  the  cause 
are  now  directing  their  labors ; and  in  doing  so  are 
but  endeavoring  to  complete  the  great  work  com- 
menced by  their  venerable  friend  and  co-laborer,  so 
justly  regarded  as  the  'Apostle  of  Peace.’  ” 

The  following  is  from  a lady  brought  up  on  the 
adjoining  farm  : 

“ As  you  have  made  request  of  me,  I will  com- 
ply with  it  according  to  the  best  of  my  ability.  The 
name  of  William  Ladd  is  ever  dear  to  me.  . 

I think  I was  about  eight  years  old  when  I first 
recollected  him.  He  was  the  means  of  getting  up 
the  first  Sabbath  school  in  Minot.  The  recollection 
of  that  evening  is  vivid  to  my  mind.  I remember 
the  interest  he  manifested  at  the  organization  of  that 
school.  He  never  had  any  children  of  his  own;  but 
I have  often  said,  I never  saw  a man  more  interested 
for  the  young  and  rising  generation  than  he  vTas. 

. . . . . It  is  plain  to  my  mind  now  with 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


9S 

what  earnestness  Mr.  Ladd  talked  to  us  children. 
He  told  us  the  story  of  the  blessed  Jesus ; of  his 
birth,  his  stay  here  on  earth,  and  how  he  took  little 
children  in  his  arms  and  blessed  them ; also  of  his 
crucifixion,  and  then  he  had  gone  to  heaven  to 
prepare  a place  for  all  that  would  love  him  and 
keep  his  commandments.  . . . He  always  no- 

ticed me,  and  spoke  a kind  and  encouraging  word 
to  me.  He  was  the  means  of  leading  me  to  Christ. 
There  are  many,  I think,  can  say  the  same  of  Wil- 
liam Ladd. 

“ He  was  kind  to  the  poor,  the  widow,  the 
orphan.  I was  a motherless  child  myself.  He 
always  encouraged  me  to  do  right,  and  gave  me  a 
Bible  while  in  the  Sabbath  school,  and  to  a number 
of  others  he  gave  Bibles. 

“ How  many  times  I have  seen  him  rise  in 
church  to  give  an  exhortation.  He  would  speak 
of  the  love  of  Jesus,  in  coming  into  the  world  to 
save  sinners.  He  warned  the  young,  encouraged 
the  middle  aged,  and  comforted  the  aged.  He  often 
spoke  of  his  own  unworthiness — said  he  had  been 
a great  sinner.  He  would  speak  of  the  goodness 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


99 


of  God  in  forgiving  his  sins.  He  was  a man  of 
deep-toned  piety;  and  I feel  that  I am  not  suffi- 
cient to  give  you  the  information  concerning  him 
I wish  to.” 


100 


WILLIAM  LADD, 


CHAPTER  IX. 


In  the  death  of  William  Laid,  the  cause  of 
Peace  lost  its  strongest  advocate,  as  the  first  utterance 
of  the  American  Peace  Society  fully  shows.  In  their 
report  in  May,  1841,  they  say  : 

“ A cloud  darker  than  ever  before  has  come 
over  the  society’s  prospects.  Its  father  is  no  more ; 
for  God  has  taken  him.  Its  founder  and  president, 
its  chief  support  and  brightest  ornament,  William 
Ladd,  has  been  called,  we  trust,  to  the  peacemaker’s 
reward  in  heaven.  He  fell  a martyr  to  his  zeal  in 
the  cause.  Peace  to  his  memory ! He  rests  from 
his  labors,  and  long  shall  his  works  of  universal 
philanthropy  follow  him.  We  feel  strongly  inclined 
to  linger  on  the  memory  of  our  venerable  and  much 
loved  friend;  but  the  passing  notice  of  a report  can 
do  little  justice  to  his  merits.  Few  are  aware  how 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


101 


much  he  attempted,  or  how  much  he  accomplished. 
We  might  speak  of  his  conversations  on  his  favorite 
theme,  as  he  traversed  the  land,  the  charm  of  every 
circle,  and  a living  encyclopedia  on  the  subject  of 
peace ; of  his  lectures  delivered  from  seminary  to 
seminary,  from  village  to  village,  from  city  to  city ; 
of  the  books  and  tracts,  and  numberless  essays  and 
letters  that  came  in  such  quick  succession  from  his 
pen,  ever  fresh  and  glowing,  like  his  own  ardent, 
vivid,  elastic  mind.  It  will  take  the  world  ages  to 
learn  how  much  he  did  for  its  welfare ; but  we  already 
know  enough  to  embalm  his  memory  in  the  admira- 
tion and  gratitude  of  mankind.” 

The  London  Peace  Society  also  deeply  felt  the 
loss  the  cause  of  Peace  had  sustained,  as  shown  by 
the  following  report : 

“ This  meeting  has  learned  with  great  sorrow, 
the  mournful  tidings,  that  William  Ladd,  Esq.,  the 
president  of  the  American  Peace  Society,  has  termin- 
ated his  earthly  career.  Peaceful  and  laborious  was 
his  course,  great  was  his  usefulness,  and  the  only 


102 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


considerations  that  tend  to  alleviate  the  painful 
feelings  with  which  this  meeting  has  received  this 
intelligence  are,  the  full  persuasion  that  he  has  gone 
to  that  world  where  all  the  air  is  love,  and  all  the 
region  peace;  and  that  the  cause  in  which  he  so 
diligently  labored  will  live  and  prosper,  as  it  is  the 
cause  of  the  Prince  of  Peace.  This  meeting  offers 
its  deepest  sympathy  with  the  American  Peace  Soci- 
ety in  the  loss  which  they,  and  the  friends  of  the 
cause  throughout  the  world,  have  sustained ; but 
with  them  they  rejoice  that  such  a man  lived  and 
adorned  their  country,  assured  that  ages  to  come 
will  refer  to  his  history  with  wonder  and  admi- 
ration.” 

From  an  eulogy  delivered  by  Rev.  G.  C.  Beck- 
with, the  following  paragraphs  are  selected  : 

“The  friends  of  Peace  meet  to-day  under  cir- 
cumstances peculiarly  afflictive.  Death  has  smitten 
down  the  charm  of  these  annual  solemnities.  That 
manly  form,  that  countenance  beaming  with  benig- 
nity, that  tongue  always  ready  with  its  captivating 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


103 


eloquence  to  plead  for  every  cause  of  God  and  man, 
are  now  in  the  grave.  Our  father  and  leader,  the 
founder  of  our  society  and  the  champion  of  our 
cause,  the  apostle  and  martyr  of  Peace,  has  gone  to 
his  final  reward,  and  left  us  to  mourn  his  sudden, 
irreparable  loss,  and  gather  from  his  memory  fresh 
motives  to  zeal  in  behalf  of  an  object  to  which  his 
talents,  his  property,  and  his  life  were  all  devoted.” 

“It  would  be  interesting  to  follow  our  champion 
through  his  subsequent  career.  The  fate  of  our 
cause  seemed  to  rest  on  him  alone;  and  he  girded 
himself  for  the  work  with  an  energy  of  purpose  that 
never  faltered,  and  an  ardor  of  zeal  that  grew  more 
and  more  intense  to  the  last  day  of  his  existence. 
He  planned  for  it;  he  toiled  for  it  day  and  night, 
from  one  end  of  the  year  to  the  other ; and  finally, 
on  this  altar  of  his  favorite  cause,  he  sacrificed 
himself  a whole  offering.  It  was  his  ruling  passion  ; 
and,  as  he  approached  his  heavenly  home,  and 
caught  from  the  nearest  summit  of  Pisgah  a wider, 
clearer  view  of  the  promised  land  he  had  sought  so 
long — the  reign  of  universal  peace — it  seemed  to  fill 


104 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


his  fahole  vision,  like  the  flood  of  glory  which  burst 
upon  the  raptured  eye  of  the  dying  Pay  son.” 

“ The  difficulties  of  the  peace  reform,  nothing  but 
experience  can  fully  teach.  For  this  arduous  work, 
so  much  above  the  character  and  even  the  aims  of 
most  Christians,  our  late  president  was  eminently 
fitted.  Cast  in  one  of  Nature’s  largest  molds,  he 
possessed  a constitution  able  to  perform,  month  after 
month,  an  amount  of  labor  that  would  have  crushed 
a man  of  common  strength.  His  intellect  was  much 
above  the  common  range  of  minds.  His  mind 
turned  at  once  to  meet  the  most  sudden  emergencies. 
Few  ever  caught  him  by  surprise.  He  was  ex- 
tremely quick  to  see  and  grasp  the  main  points  of  an 
argument;  and  his  skill  in  debate,  the  fairness  and 
pertinency  of  his  replies,  and  his  tact  in  managing  all 
sorts  of  minds,  made  him  a favorite  advocate  of 
peace,  alike  in  halls  of  science,  and  the  dwellings  of 
the  illiterate.” 

“ There  was  about  him  a charm  quite  inimitable ; 
and,  wherever  he  went,  his  social  qualities  gave  him, 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


105 


even  as  a reformer,  a ready  welcome  to  every  mind 
and  place.  There  was  no  resisting  such  a spirit  as 
his.  His  bosom  was  full  of  kindness,  and  it  was 
constantly  flowing  out  to  all  around  him.  His  wit 
and  pleasantry,  and  kindness,  and  guileless  sim- 
plicity, and  amusing,  instructive  anecdotes,  all 
united  to  render  him  the  charm  of  every  place.  He 
used,  wherever  he  went,  to  converse  on  his  favorite 
theme.  Hope  was  strongly  predominant  in  his 
character;  and,  but  for  this,  he  would  never  have 
continued  a month  in  a cause  so  depressed  as  he 
found  that  of  Peace.  His  constitutional  bouyancy  of 
spirits  was  quite  an  essential  qualification  for  his 
work. 

“ Benevolence  was  the  mainspring  of  all  his 
movements.  Not  only  was  it  seen  in  the  kindness 
that  distilled  like  gentle  dew  on  the  domestic  circle  ; 
in  the  hospitality  that  made  his  house  a free  hotel ; 
in  deeds  of  benevolence  to  all  that  came  in  his  way — 
but  it  went  forth  in  search  of  objects,  and  extended 
itself  over  the  whole  earth,  and  encircled  the  whole 
human  family.  And  can  we  wonder  that  such  a 
philanthropy  sprang  at  once  into  the  enterprise  of 


106 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


peace  as  the  noblest  reform  ever  attempted  or  con- 
ceived by  man?  Can  it  surprise  us  that  such  a 
philanthropist  vowed,  on  the  altar  of  his  God, 
perpetual  hostility  to  war,  as  man’s  deepest  disgrace 
and  deadliest  foe,  as  an  outrage  on  humanity,  and  a 
base  libel  on  our  holy  religion  ?” 

“ But  more  than  this  passing  notice  is  due  to  his 
indomitable  energy.  Not  one  man  in  ten  thousand 
would  have  prosecuted  an  enterprise  so  little  appre- 
ciated, though  so  long,  so  unbroken  a series  of 
obstacles  well  nigh  insurmountable;  but  through 
them  all  he  held  on  his  way.  Some  ridiculed,  others 
pitied,  and  even  professed  friends  of  the  cause  de- 
spaired, and  begun,  one  after  another,  to  stand  aloof  ; 
but  he  clung  to  the  helm  with  a grasp  stronger  than 
ever,  and  steered  the  ship  in  the  very  teeth  of  wind 
and  tide.  Often  have  I seen  him  anxious,  but  never 
saw  the  slightest  symptom  of  wavering  in  his  pur- 
pose ; that  was  unalterable.  He  had  nailed  his  flag 
to  the  mast,  and  had  he  been  left  entirely  alone  on 
board,  I verily  believe  he  would  have  remained  there 
till  the  vessel  sank,  before  he  would  have  left  his 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


107 


post.  All  this  wps  interwoven  with  qualities  which 
served  to  disarm  opposition  and  produce  kindness 
and  confidence.  His  honesty,  his  candor,  his  frank- 
ness, his  bland  spirit,  his  conciliatory  address,  his 
delicate  regard  for  the  feelings  of  others,  his  pru- 
dence, his  respect  for  the  opinions  and  even  the 
prejudices  of  mankind,  his  sympathy  with  good  men 
of  every  name  on  the  great  points  of  truth  and  duty, 
all  conspired  to  make  the  community  feel  safe  ..under 
his  counsels.  . . . 

‘‘The  friend  of  God  and  man  sleeps  with  his 
fathers;  but  never  shall  the  influences  he  set  at 
work  cease  to  operate,  till  they  shall  accomplish  the 
blessed  consummation  of  laws  and  courts  and 
Christian  principles  applied  to  nations  as  now  to 
individuals;  never  till  swords  shall  be  beaten  into 
plowshares,  and  all  nations  shall  learn  war  no  more.” 

The  Rev.  Asa  Cummings  says  : 

“One  trait  of  Mr.  Ladd’s  character,  which  we 
have  not  seen  recognized  in  any  published  notice  of 
him  was  pre-eminently  valuable,  and  distinguished 


108 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


him  from  most  other  modern  reformers  with  whom 
we  have  been  acquainted.  His  fellow-men  might 
oppose  or  neglect  him,  or  treat  his  scheme  as 
Utopian ; yet  he  cdivays  kept  his  temper.  He  never 
dealt  in  denunciation.  He  was  too  magnanimous 
to  resent  either  opposition  or  indifference.  The 
latter  was  much  the  harder  for  him  to  bear;  and  he 
was  often  grieved  by  it,  not  on  personal  accounts, 
but  from  its  effects  on  the  blessed  cause  to  which  he 
had  devoted  himself.  But  nothing  seemed  to  inter- 
rupt the  perpetual  flow  of  kindness  and  good-will 
w7hich  characterized  him.  If  he  erred  at  all,  it  was 
by  an  excess  of  pleasantry ; or  more  truly  perhaps, 
by  ill-timed  pleasantry,  suffering  it  occasionally  to 
break  out  amidst  the  solemn  exercises  of  a religious 
meeting.  This  would  not  interfere  with  the  edifica- 
tion of  minds  constituted  like  his  own;  but  all  can 
not  make  such  sudden  transitions. 

“ But  he  is  gone ! and  the  time  and  circumstan- 
ces of  his  departure  were  ordered  in  great  mercy  to 
himself.  His  was  an  enviable  death.  He  was  found 
in  his  Master’s  service.  His  transition  was  sudden 
from  th$  kbors  of  earth  to  the  rest  of  heaven.  And 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


109 


yet  we  can  hardly  repress  the  feelings  of  melancholy 
which  arhe  as  we  reflect  that  we  shall  never  again 
be  cheered  by  his  hearty  greetings,  or  enlivened 
and  made  wiser  by  his  instructive  conversation.” 

The  Rev.  Andrew  P.  Peabody  said : 

“Few  men  have  left  so  many  warm  friends  as 
he;  and  we  doubt  whether  he  has  left  an  enemy; 
sure  we  are  that  he  was  no  mans  enemy.  The  angel 
of  death  found  him  as  free  as  he  was  in  infancy, 
from  malice  and  hatred. 

“He  has  for  years  exerted  a commanding  in- 
fluence over  the  public  mind,  both  in  our  own 
country  and  abroad.  When  he  commenced  his 
labors  in  the  cause  of  Peace,  he  stood  almost  alone. 
But  our  friend  hoped  against  hope,  and  toiled  on, 
undaunted  by  the  seeming  fruitlessness  of  his  efforts. 
He  knew  that  he  was  laboring  in  the  cause  of  God 
and  of  man,  and  therefore  not  in  vain.  He  has  left 
many  able  and  faithful  fellow-workers ; but  the  most 
of  them  derived  their  first  impulse  from  his  dis- 
courses, or  publications ; and  if  mankind  are  to- 


110 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


cease  from  war,  if  our  country  is  to  take  the  lead  in 
puttiug  away  violence  between  nation  and  nation, 
his  name  must  go  down  to  posterity  as  essentially 
connected  with  the  earliest  steps  of  this  Christian 
movement,  and  be  transmitted  for  the  lasting 
gratitude  of  his  race.” 

The  Rev.  William  Clark,  D.  D.,  after  sketch- 
ing the  general  character  of  William  Ladd,  says  : 

“ What  gave  him  while  he  lived,  and  what  will 
give  him  in  coming  generations  the  prominent  posi- 
tion he  held  and  will  retain  in  this  and  other 
Christian  nations,  were  his  peace  principles , and  his 
earnest,  untiring  efforts  at  whatever  expense  of 
treasure  and  labor,  to  make  them  bear  upon  the 
practice  of  nations. 

“ On  the  unutterable  evils  of  war,  whether 
foreign  or  civil,  he  read,  reflected,  wrote,  and  spoke 
until  his  great  soul  was  kindled  into  a flame  that 
burned  brighter  and  more  brighter  until  his  death. 

“Mr.  Ladd’s  interest  in  peace,  his  unceasing 
efficient  advocacy  of  it,  whether  through  the  press, 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


Ill 


the  pulpit,  or  the  platform,  before  ecclesiastical 
bodies,  schools,  colleges,  theological  seminaries,  in 
frequent  long  journeys  over  the  country,  and  liberal 
expenditure  of  money ; it  was  this  that  made  him 
conspicuous  before  the  American  people  and  the 
European  nations. 

“The  great  object  for  which  he  so  strenuously 
labored  in  connection  with  showing  the  terrible 
effects  of  war  on  human  life,  property,  morals,  and 
religion,  creating  national  debts,  and  disorganizing 
society,  was  to  create  a public  sentiment  throughout 
the  Christian  world  hostile  to  war,  and  that  should 
induce  nations  to  settle  their  difficulties  by  a Con- 
gress of  Nations.” 


112 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


CHAPTER  X. 


In  the  book  from  which  this  Review  is  mainly 
compiled,  are  many  additional  testimonies  to  the  life 
and  character  of  William  Ladd,  by  those  who  knew 
and  loved  him.  Some  were  written  soon  after  his 
death,  but  mostly  in  answer  to  the  biographer’s 
request,  thus  after  the  lapse  of  years  giving  their 
impressions  and  recollections  of  the  man,  that  all 
without  exception  felt  to  be  no  ordinary  one.  The 
first  sight  of  him  caused  impressions  that  were  never 
effaced.  Says  one  : 

“ I can  readily  call  to  mind  his  portly  look  and 
manly  gait,  his  ruddy  countenance  and  genial  smile, 
and  how  he  edified  and  electrified  us  by  his  speeches 
and  remarks  at  our  annual  conferences,  and  how 
delighted  we  all  were  to  see  and  hear  him,  and  vrhat 
a commanding  influence  he  wielded  over  us  and  the 


WILLIAM  LADI). 


113 


state  and  nation  ; and  how  sad  we  all  were  when  he 
departed  this  life,  that  we  should  see  that  pleasant 
face  and  hear  that  well-timed  voice  no  more.” 

Says  another : 

“ He  was  a genial,  social,  pleasant  old  gentle- 
man, supremely  devoted  to  his  one  object  of  peace, 
and  yet  a liberal  friend  to  all  good  objects.  He  was 
a grand  story  teller,  and  always  interested  people  in 
his  speeches.” 

Another  says : 

“ He  was  a brim-full  man,  overflowing  with 
humor,  anecdote,  illustration ; was  a gentleman  by 
instinct.  There  was  an  underlying  sense  of  taste 
in  him  that  kept  him  from  improprieties.  And  yet, 
it  would  not  have  answered  for  a man  of  smaller 
capacities  to  say  and  do  what  he  could  do  and  say 
without  giving  offense.  He  was  a privileged  char- 
acter. There  could  be  but  one  Captain  Ladd. 

“No  matter  whether  on  Sunday,  or  in  the 
public  conference  or  convention,  when  the  majestic 


114 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


form  of  Mr.  Laid  rose,  surmounted  by  that  sunlike 
face,  there  was  a predisposition  in  the  audience  to 
smile. 

“ The  quaintness  of  his  style,  the  sharp  angles 
of  thought,  the  ceaseless  outflow  and  overflow  of 
ideas  and  illustrations  provoked  good  nature  always, 
and  often  convulsed  his  audience/’ 

Lev.  John  S.  C.  Abbott  says  : 

i(  A little  over  forty  years  ago,  when  I was  a 
student  in  the  theological  seminary  at  Andover, 
Captain  Ladd  addressed  the  young  divinity  students 
there  upon  the  subject  of  Peace.  As  I remember 
him,  he  was  a florid,  handsome  man,  looking  like 
the  bluff  Christian  sailor.  Plis  address  was  very 
fervent  and  convincing,  though  at  this  distance  of 
time  I can  not  recall  its  details.  He  was  received 
cordially  by  the  students.  His  arguments  were 
appreciated;  and  with  no  little  enthusiasm,  as  I 
remember,  a peace  society  was  organized  in  the 
seminary.  Captain  Ladd  was  exceedingly  gratified 
with  his  reception.” 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


115 


“Eminently  given  to  hospitality/’  says  the  Rev. 
William  Clark,  “ he  delighted  to  entertain  his  large 
acquaintance  in  his  spacious  mansion,  generously 
and  gracefully  imparting  to  them  the  products 
of  his  farm,  garden,  and  orchard.  In  harmony 
with  his  princely  hospitality,  Captain  Ladd  was 
gentlemanly,  courteous,  dignified  in  bearing,  though 
exceedingly  affable,  making  all  classes — even  the 
humblest — feel  at  home  with  him.  Naturally  a 
lover  of  his  race,  his  interest  in  all  men  was  en- 
hanced by  his  Christian  character  and  sympathies. 
Loving  God,  he  loved  his  fellow-men,  and  was 
happy  in  efforts  to  promote  their  temporal  and 
eternal  well-being.  . . . Here  it  should  be  stated, 

that  Mrs.  Ladd,  his  wife,  an  excellent  English  lady, 
was  in  full  sympathy  with  her  husband  in  all  deeds 
of  hospitality  and  humane  Christian  objects.” 

Rev.  Asa  Bullard  writes  : 

“ Yours  of  the  20th  has  come  to  hand,  and  it 
has  awakened  recollections  of  a man  who  for  many 
years  I greatly  esteemed  and  loved.  . . . We 


116 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


often  conferred  together  on  the  early  training  of 
the  young.  He  frequently  wrote  articles  bearing 
upon  his  favorite  subject  of  peace,  for  a juvenile 
periodical  that  I edited.  Though  he  had  no  children 
of  his  own,  he  was  greatly  interested  in  children, 
and  easily  secured  their  love.  For  many  years  he 
was  a most  faithful  and  successful  superintendent 
of  the  Sabbath  school  in  Minot. 

“Captain  Ladd  was  a most  affectionate  and 
faithful  husband.  Notwithstanding  the  deafness  of 
Mrs.  Ladd,  he  never  wearied  in  raising  his  voice 
to  answer  all  her  inquiries  and  communicate  to  her 
everything  of  interest.  His  attentions  to  her  were 
very  remarkable ; and,  in  return,  her  love  for  him 
and  her  tender  solicitude  for  his  comfort  and  hap- 
piness were  almost  passionate. 

“ Captain  Ladd’s  constant  cheerfulness,  ready 
wit,  great  fund  of  anecdote,  and  general  intelligence, 
made  his  company  most  agreeable.  I never  knew  a 
man  who  was  so  invariably  cheerful,  and  whose 
laugh  was  so  hearty  and  frequent.  And  yet  he  was 
by  no  means  frivolous  or  given  to  levity.  He  ex- 
pressed his  feelings  of  joy  and  pleasure  more  strongly 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


117 


in  this  way  than  most  persons  do.  His  laughter  was 
spontaneous,  gushing  forth  from  a fountain  of  good 
humor,  ever  full  and  ever  flowing. 

“He  was  a man  of  strong  religious  feelings  and 
sympathies ; and  his  tenderer  emotions  were  also 
easily  excited.  Any  of  the  more  affecting  truths 
of  the  gospel,  or  any  tale  of  suffering  and  woe, 
would  start  the  tears  as  easily  as  a witty  reply  would 
call  forth  a laugh.” 

The  Rev.  T.  C.  Upham,  near  the  close  of  life, 
says  : 

“ I am  able  to  write  now  only  a few  words. 
Your  view  of  Captain  Ladd  agrees  entirely  with 
mine.  ‘ He  was  the  philanthropist  of  the  nineteenth 
century .’  ” 


“More  than  thirty  years  have  passed,”  says 
the  Rev.  Nathaniel  Boughton,  “yet  even  now  his 
image  is  vividly  before  me.  He  was  then  in  the 
full  maturity  of  manhood  ; large,  well  proportioned, 
and  dignified  in  person  ; his  voice  full  and  sonorous, 


118 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


and,  when  his  emotions  were  kindled,  he  rose  often- 
times to  a high  pitch  of  eloquence;  his  face  was 
placid  and  benignant,  and  when  aglow  with  his 
theme,  it  reflected  his  own  pacific  spirit.  The  very 
word  peace,  as  he  pronounced  it,  as  his  temper  and 
language  recommended  it,  seemed  to  disarm  all 
opposition,  and  recommended  his  principles  to  gen- 
eral adoption.” 

( 

Samuel  E.  Cowes  thus  writes  : 

“ There  is  no  want  of  respect  and  confidence 
and  love  on  the  part  of  the  people  for  such  a 
man  as  William  Ladd,  who  raises  himself  above 
the  common  tone,  and  stands  upon  the  high  moral 
elevation  of  the  principles  of  Jesus  Christ. 

“Wherever  William  Ladd  spoke,  the  people 
crowded  to  listen  to  him.  They  hung  upon  his 
accents  with  delight,  for  his  soul  was  in  his  work. 
During  the  last  years  of  his  life,  he  never  failed 
to  fill  the  largest  churches  and  public  buildings ; 
and  if  he  made  not  converts  to  his  own  faith,  he 
left  his  audience  standing  in  the  light  of  a friend 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


119 


to  each  and  every  one  who  had  listened  to  him. 
He  uttered  his  convictions  boldly,  manfully.  He 
would  say,  ‘ The  sword  shall  be  beaten  into  a plow- 
share; the  day  is  coming  when  men  shall  learn 
war  no  more.  I believe  it,  for  the  mouth  of  the 
Lord  hath  spoken  it ! * And  then  he  would  draw 
so  beautiful  a picture  of  a world  in  peace,  of  the 
day  when  every  nation  shall  draw  together  the 
bonds  of  love,  when  man  shall  knit  himself  close 
to  his  brother  man,  when,  in  place  of  the  sword, 
men  shall  approach  each  other  with  the  olive  branch 
in  their  hands,  and  w7ith  words  of  kindness  on  their 
lips,  with  love  glistening  from  their  eyes!  We 
wonder  not  that  he  drew  all  hearts  to  him.  ItSTo 
wonder  that  he  touched  and  moved  his  audience. 
If  he  made  them  not  peace  men  to  the  full  extent, 
he  left  on  their  minds  a deep  impression  of  the 
false  nature  of  martial  glory,  of  the  hideous  lie 
that  is  covered  up  by  the  splendor  of  military  array. 

4 ‘His  speech  and  manner  wrere  peculiar — diffi- 
cult to  imitate  or  describe.  In  person  he  was  large, 
even  to  corpulancy;  his  face  round  and  full,  beam- 
ing with  intelligence  and  benevolence,  his  forehead 


120 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


high  and  noble.  His  appearance  impressed  the 
audience  with  the  striking  traits  of  his  character — 
philanthropy,  gentleness,  enthusiasm,  and  intelli- 
gence. 

“ We  have  heard  it  imputed  as  a fault  in 
William  Ladd,  that  he  was  in  his  discourses  too 
much  inclined  to  create  a laugh  ; that  his  exu- 
berant flow  of  spirits,  his  ready  fund  of  anecdote, 
often  tempted  him  from  the  dignity  of  his  subject. 
But  they  wTho  make  this  imputation  do  not  know 
the  springs  of  human  nature.  To  many  minds  the 
facts,  the  outside  bearing,  the  personal  illustration, 
are  essential.  Beside,  the  way  to  reach  the  heart 
is  first  to  arrest  the  attention,  and  establish  a sym- 
pathy with  the  hearer — more  readily  done  by  the 
pleasant  story  than  by  the  soundness  of  logic.  If 
his  humor  and  playfulness  at  times  overcame  the 
sobriety  of  the  temple,  his  frequent  pathos  and  his 
powerful  appeals  to  the  sympathies  of  his  audience 
carried  them  away  captive  to  his  eloquence.  If  at 
times  some  humorous  strain  came  from  his  lips, 
it  was  sure  to  be  followed  by  an  appeal  that 
shook  [lie  stoutest  heart,  .and  none  left  the  meeting 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


121 


without  having  fixed  upon  his  mind  ‘the  old  man 
eloquent.’  ” 

Many  pages  might  be  filled  with  similar  testi- 
monies, showing  how  much  he  was  esteemed  by  all 
who  knew  him. 


122 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

In  a preceding  chapter  we  have  given  a sketch 
of  the  farm  of  William  Ladd  and  his  surroundings, 
and  his  biographer  has  given  various  instances  of  his 
kindness  and  generosity  to  those  in  his  employ,  from 
which  we  select  the  following : 


“At  a certain  time,  one  of  his  hired  men, 
Reuben  Morrow,  who  labored  for  him  from  1818  to 
1829,  was  taken  very  sick ; and  had  watchers 
twenty  nights.  Mr.  Ladd  sent  to  Portland  for 
medicine  for  him,  and  he  was  taken  excellent  care 
of,  and  recovered  his  health  after  forty-one  days  of 
lost  labor.  When  Mr.  M.  was  able  to  work,  he  said 
to  Mr.  Ladd,  ‘I  want  to  settle  with  you  now/ 
‘Settle  for  what?’  said  Mr.  Ladd.  ‘For  the  ex- 
penses of  my  sickness.’  Mr.  Ladd  replied,  ‘I  have 
no  bill  against  you,  all  is  settled.’  Mr.  M.  said,  ‘I 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


123 


have  lost  forty-one  days  of  time.’  Mr.  Ladd 
answered,  ‘You  have  lost  no  time;  your  wages  have 
not  stopped  during  your  sickness/  And  this  was  the 
rule  with  this  great  philanthropist:  to  take  care  of 
his  hired  men/” 

“ A young  woman  who  lived  in  Mr.  Ladd’s 
family  for  several  years,  was  taken  sick  with  fever. 
She  wished  to  be  carried  to  her  home  near  by.  Mr. 
Ladd  carried  her  home  in  a carriage,  with  great 
gentleness  and  care,  frequently  inquiring  of  her  if  it 
hurt  her  to  ride.  He  sent  her,  during  her  sickness, 
rare  delicacies  suited  to  her  condition,  which  her 
parents  could  not  easily  procure.” 

“ A negro  by  the  name  of  Richard  Dawes,  came 
to  Minot  while  Reuben  Morrow  lived  with  Mr. 
Ladd,  and  wished  Reuben  to  get  him  a place  to 
wrork.  Mr.  Ladd  said  he  had  as  lief  hire  a negro  as 
a white  man ; but  told  Reuben  he  need  not  eat  wTith 
him  if  he  did  not  wish  to.  Reuben  replied,  ‘I  will 
not  work  writh  a man  that  I will  not  eat  with/  Mr. 
Ladd  laughed  and  said,  ‘When  I followed  the  sea, 
I used  to  sit  dowTn  and  eat  with  my  sailors.  I helped 
myse'f,  and  they  helped  themselves/” 


124 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


“ Richard  worked  with  Mr.  Ladd  for  several 
months,  but  left  before  winter ; but  afterward  was 
taken  sick,  and  returned  to  Minot  the  following 
summer  in  a very  poor  state  of  health.  He  called  on 
Reuben,  feeling  very  disconsolate,  and  said  he  was 
sick,  and  had  no  friends  and  no  home.  On  Mr.  Ladd 
being  informed,  he  stepped  out  to  him  and  said  very 
kindly,  ‘Richard,  how  do  you  do?’  Richard  an- 
swered, ‘ I am  sick,  and  have  no  home/  Mr.  Ladd 
replied,  ‘ Well,  I have  a home,  and  you  shall  have  a 
home  as  long  as  I have;  make  my  house  your  home. 
When  you  get  well,  you  may  work  for  me  and  pay 
me  ; but  if  you  never  get  well,  I am  paid  already.’  ” 
“Poor  Richard  cried  like  a child.  This  great 
and  unexpected  kindness  completely  overcame  him. 
Mr.  Ladd  conducted  him  to  a chamber  furnished  with 
as  good  a bed  as  the  mansion  contained,  and  told 
him  that  that  room  was  his  own  while  he  should  be 
sick.  Richard  soon  became  very  sick,  and  it  was  very 
evident  that  the  end  of  his  life  on  earth  was  near. 
Some  ignorant  or  heedless  person  had  told  him  that 
when  he  died  he  would  be  buried  in  a highway  or 
some  lonely  place  in  a pasture.  This  troubled  Rich- 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


125 


ard  so  much  that  he  wept,  and  on  Mr.  Ladd  being 
informed  that  Richard  had  some  peculiar  trouble,  he 
immediately  stepped  to  his  bedside  and  inquired  the 
cause.  Richard  told  his  trouble,  and  said  he  did 
not  know  as  it  ought  to  grieve  him  that  he  could 
not  be  buried  in  the  graveyard  with  white  folks. 
Mr.  Ladd  assured  him  that  he  should  be  buried 
in  the  graveyard.  Richard  was  a pious  young  man, 
and  soon  after  this  he  sweetly  fell  asleep  in  Jesus. 
He  was  buried  in  as  becoming  and  costly  a man- 
ner as  if  he  had  been  a member  of  the  family, 
and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ladd,  as  chief  mourners,  fol- 
lowed poor  Richard  to  his  peaceful  grave  in  Minot 
Center  burying-ground.” 

‘ ‘ Mr.  Ladd  used  to  say  he  was  willing  to  bear 
a portion  of  the  misfortunes  of  the  persons  in  his 
employ,  and  this  was  his  rule  to  take  care  of  his  men 
and  maidens  in  their  sickness,  and  also  to  continue 
their  wages  the  same  as  when  in  health.,, 

Many  interesting  circumstances  and  anecdotes 
are  recorded  of  William  Ladd,  some  of  which  we 
transcribe,  as  showing  more  vividly  the  true  charac* 


126 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


ter  of  the  man.  Beference  has  been  made  to  the 
great  interest  he  took  in  the  temperanec  reformation, 
and  the  following  incident  will  show  the  manner  by 
which  he  became  a teetotaler.  Being  present  at  a 
very  large  temperance  meeting,  an  occasion  of  special 
importance  for  the  advancement  of  the  good  cause, 
he  was  prompted,  as  he  usually  was,  not  only  to 
speak,  but  to  do  his  best  as  its  advocate  and  cham- 
pion. He  used  to  say,  that  he  never  made  so  good 
a temperance  speech  in  his  life.  He  used  up  all  the 
objections  of  his  opposers,  and  thought  nobody  could 
get  away  from  his  arguments. 

“I  sat  down,”  said  he,  “ thinking  that  he  who 
could  withstand  the  appeal  I had  made  must  be  a 
hard  one  indeed.” 

Suddenly,  a little,  hard-looking  man  got  up  in  a 
distant  corner  of  the  house,  and  said:  “Ha!  if  the 
squire  will  give  us  some  of  his  good  wine,  we 
wouldn’t  drink  the  nasty  rum  no  more!  ” This  was 
a cut  which  the  good  man  little  expected,  and  which 
he  could  neither  gainsay  nor  resist,  for  he  was  a real 
friend  of  Temperance,  and  he  saw  in  a moment  both 
his  inconsistency,  and  the  reason  why  he  had  met 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


127 


with  no  more  success.  He  sprang  to  liis  feet,  and 
with  the  frankness  of  a child,  confessed  his  mistake, 
and  gave  up  from  that  hour  every  kind  of  intoxicat- 
ing drink. 

The  same  writer  says: 

“Mr.  Ladd  possessed  a very  happy  faculty  of 
talking  to  children,  and  winning  them  over  to  his 
peace  principles.  He  used  to  relate  the  following 
incident.  A distinguished  teacher,  having  two  hoys 
that  were  quite  in  love  with  military  display,  of 
which  he  could  not  cure  them,  requested  Mr.  Ladd 
to  try  his  eloquence  with  them.  Calling  to  him  the 
oldest  boy,  he  said,  ‘Do  love  to  see  the  soldiers V 
‘Yes,  I love  to  see  the  rub-a-dubs.’  ‘Would  you  like 
to  be  one  yourself?’  ‘O,  yes.’  ‘But  do  you  know 
what  these  soldiers  are  for?’  ‘No/  ‘ Why,  they  are 
learning  to  kill  people.  Those  bright  bayonets  are 
made  to  stab  and  kill  people  with.’  The  boy  turned 
pale.  He  never  entertained  such  a thought.  ‘Do 
you  know  who  killed  the  babes  of  Bethlehem, 
because  a wicked  king  told  them  to  ? ’ ‘ No.’  ‘ They 
were  soldiers.’  ‘Do  you  know  who  crucified  our 


128 


WILLIAM  LADI>. 


Lord?’  The  boy  was  silent.  ‘They  were  soldiers; 
and  soldiers  would  burn  your  house,  and  cut  down 
your  fruit  trees,  and  kill  your  father,  if  they  were 
told  to  do  it.’  The  boys  were  astonished;  tears 
stood  in  their  eyes.  ‘ Do  you  want  to  be  a soldier? ’ 
‘No.’  ‘Do  you  want  to  see  the  rub  a dubs?’  ‘No.’” 

Another  writer  says  : 

“I  met  him  in  a social  circle,  in  Brunswick, 
Maine.  He  was  the  life  of  the  party,  full  of  fun  and 
frolic.  He  played  with  the  children  as  though  he 
were  one  of  them.  Some  one  pleasantly  remarked, 
6 When  you  become  a man,  you  should  put  away 
childish  things.’  He  promptly  replied,  ‘ Ah,  I fear 
that  I shall  never  be  a man.  I can  never  be  any- 
thing more  than  a Ladd.1” 

Another  writer  says : 

“I  give  from  Rev.  Dr.  Ide,  of  Midway,  Massa- 
chusetts, the  following : He  and  Captain  Ladd,  and 

a company  of  clergymen,  were  returning  from  New 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


129 


York  City,  when  they  held  a peace  meeting  in  the 
cabin  of  the  steamer.  In  the  course  of  the  debate — 
pro  and  con — Dr.  Ide  proposed  this  question,  to 
whoever  might  answer  it : * Man  has  two  fists ; and, 

when  he  is  prested  or  abused,  he  feels  inclined  to 
use  them  to  defend  himself.  Now,  what  was  man 
made  so  for  ? ’ 

‘‘Captain  Ladd  immediately  sprang  to  his  feet, 
in  the  best  of  humor,  exclaiming,  ‘ I’ll  answer  him ! 
I’ll  answer  him  ! ’ And  reaching  out  his  two  hands 
with  fingers  all  spread  out  like  claws,  repeated  from 
Dr.  Watts: 

‘ Let  dogs  delight  to  bark  and  bite, 

For  God  hath  made  them  so ; 

Let  bears  and  lions  growl  and  fight, 

For  his  their  nature  to.’ 

“Then  looking  round  on  the  company,  like  a 
father  on  his  children,  continued  : 

‘ But,  children,  you  should  never  let 
Such  angry  passions  rise, 

Your  little  hands  were  never  made 
To  tear  each  others’  eyes.’ 

“ This  recitation,  in  the  captain’s  comical  man- 
ner, brought  down  the  hcuse  in  a roar  of  laughter.’” 


130 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


At  an  anniversary  meeting  of  the  New  Hamp- 
shire Missionary  Society,  numerous  pledges  of  thirty 
dollars,  by  ministers,  laymen,  and  ladies,  were  made 
to  constitute  their  sons  and  daughters  life  members 
of  the  society,  with  the  request  not  unfrequently  that 
prayers  should  be  offered  for  them.  These  public 
pledges  and  requests  awakened  great  interest  in  the 
audience.  In  the  height  of  the  excitement,  William 
Ladd  arose,  his  majestic  person  towering  above  all 
others,  his  tremulous  voice  heard  above  all  other 
voices;  he  was  deeply  affected,  saying: 

“I  have  an  only  beloved  daughter,  very,  very  . 
dear  to  me;  I will  make  her  a life  member  of  the 
New  Hampshire  Missionary  Society  if  you  will  pray 
for  her.  The  name  of  my  daughter  is  American 
Peace  Society .” 

On  the  spot  he  paid  thirty  dollars ; and  now, 
after  the  lapse  of  nearly  forty  years,  “ The  American 
Peace  Society”  is  enrolled  among  the  life  members 
of  the  New  Hampshire  Missionary  Society.  The 
announcement  of  the  noble  man,  and  the  corres- 
ponding deed,  awakened  deep  emotions  in  the  great 
congregation. 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


131 


CHAPTER  XII. 


His  biographer  says : 

“ Probably  it  will  be  interesting  to  many  to 
read  Mr.  Ladd’s  military  history.  His  ‘ military 
record’  is  much  better  than  Alexander’s  or  Napo- 
leon’s, for  it  is  unstained  with  human  blood. 

“Mr.  Ladd  says:  ‘New  Hampshire,  about 

thirty  five  years  ago  (1790),  labored  under  the  delu- 
sion of  a military  fever.  The  aged,  the  halt,  and 
the  purblind  turned  out,  shouldered  their  rusty 
muskets,  and  took  the  ranks.  The  exempts  were 
enrolled  in  what  was  called  The  Alarm  List.  The 
boys,  too,  caught  the  fever  from  the  aged  ; and  I 
flourished,  with  my  wooden  sword,  as  lieutenant  of 
a company  of  what  might  have  been  literally  called 
light  infantry.  But  on  getting  possession  of  an  old 
rusty  hanger,  which  had  served  in  as  many  capac- 


132 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


ities  as  Hudibras’s,  I was  elevated  to  the  captaincy, 
as  being  a lad  of  the  most  metal  of  them  all ; a 
qualification  which  has  generally  had  its  weight  in 
military  elections/  The  boys  finally  disbanded  their 
company. 

“Mr.  Ladd  continues:  ‘We  boys  found  our 
wooden  guns  very  serviceable  in  the  game  of  bat 
and  ball;  and  thus,  if  we  did  not  turn  the  sword 
into  a plowshare,  we  changed  a mock  tragedy  into 
a real  comedy/ 

“Mr.  Ladd  goes  on  to  say:  ‘I  do  not  know 
how  much  my  early  promotion  in  the  militia  line 
might  have  puffid  up  my  vanity,  and  made  me  a 
son  of  Mars,  instead  of  an  Apostle  of  Peace,  had 
it  not  been  for  an  impression  of  a contrary  tendency 
which  was  made  on  my  mind  soon  after  my  promo- 
tion. I was  sent  on  an  errand  to  borrow  a darning- 
needle  and  a pinch  of  snuff  for  Marm  Creighton, 
my  old  school-mistress,  to  the  cottage  of  old  Granny 
Hall,  who  kept  a sort  of  nursery  for  unfortunate 
children,  whose  parents  were  ashamed  of  theip, 
whom  she  boarded  at  the  low  stipend  of  a shilling 
a week.  The  old  lady  kept  the  children  as  neat 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


133 


and  clean  as  circumstances  would  allow.  But,  as 
their  parents  often  forgot  them,  the  boys  would 
outgrow  their  clothes,  so  that  their  legs  would  pro- 
trude far  out  of  their  envelopes,  and  the  clothes  of 
the  little  girls  were  in  no  better  condition.  But 
there  is  no  station  so  low  in  which  pride  and  vanity 
may  not  be  exhibited.  These  little  creatures,  seldom 
seeing  anybody  but  one  another,  thought  themselves 
mighty  fine.  On  this  occasion  one  of  the  little  girls, 
in  a frock  of  many  colors,  ran  up  to  me,  and  point- 
ing with  her  tiny  finger  at  a piece  of  new  yellow 
baize — of  a shape  not  to  be  found  in  Euclid — which 
was  sewed  on  her  waist,  exclaimed,  ‘See  my  new 
patch!  see  my  new  patch! 9 I can  not  tell  whether 
the  association  arises  from  the  similarity  of  color, 
but  I never  see  a new-made  officer,  strutting  under 
his  gold  epaulette,  but  I think  I hear  him  exclaim, 
with  Granny  Halls  bantling,  ‘ See  my  neiv  patch ! 
see  my  new  patch ! ' 99 

His  estimate  of  military  trappings  is  also  shown 
in  a speech  at  a public  meeting,  saying : 


134 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


“ The  ladies  are  often  accused  of  being  vain, 
and  fond  of  dress ; but  what  shall  we  say  of  those 
men,  who,  in  order  to  make  a fine  appearance,  have 
robbed  the  bears  of  their  fur,  the  geese  of  their 
feathers,  and  the  horses  of  their  tails?” 

This  was  so  amusing,  and  spoken  in  so  amusing 
a manner,  that  even  grave  and  venerable  clergymen 
joined  in  the  hearty  laugh. 

The  sheep  story  has  often  been  quoted,  but  as 
related  by  William  .Ladd  to  a fiiend,  is  as  follows: 

“He  had  a neighbor  whose  unruly  sheep  were 
getting  into  his  lot  and  injuring  his  growing  crops. 
Repeated  requests  to  have  them  taken  care  of  re- 
ceived no  attention.  At  length  he  became  irritable 
over  the  matter,  and  threatened  to  have  them  driven 
to  the  pound,  which  did  not  help  the  matter  at  all. 
At  length  he  began  to  reflect  that  he  was  not  acting 
consistently  with  his  own  principles.  He  must  take 
a different  course.  He  soon  called  where  his  neigh- 
bor was  at  work,  but  his  friendly  greeting  was 
roughly  responded  to.  ‘ I have  come/  said  he,  ‘ to  talk 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


135 


with  you  about  your  sheep.’  ‘I  care  nothing  about 
the  sheep  nor  you  neither/  was  the  pettish  reply. 
4 Well/  said  Mr.  Ladd,  4 1 have  a lot  off  at  a dis- 
tance, where  there  is  good  feed,  and  I would  like 
to  have  you  turn  your  sheep  in  there.  They  will 
thrive  well  there,  and  do  no  one  any  injury.  You 
shall  be  entirely  welcome  to  do  it.’  ‘Are  you  in 
earnest,  ’square  ? ’ said  the  man.  4 Certainly,  I am,’ 
said  Mr.  Ladd ; 4 it  will  be  better  for  you  and  for 
me.’  4 ’Square,  my  sheep  shan’t  trouble  you  any 
more,’  said  the  man,  and  so  the  difficulty  was  ended.” 

A lady,  who  knew  him,  writes  : 

“Mr.  Ladd,  in  his  youth,  was  fond  of  gunning. 
On  one  occasion,  he  bad  been  out  without  finding 
anything  at  which  to  point  his  gun.  As  he  was 
returning  homeward,  he  saw  a robin  singing  in  a 
tree.  He  lifted  his  gun  and  fired,  bringing  the  bird 
to  his  feet.  As  it  fluttered,  dying,  its  reproachful 
eye  lifted  to  his  seemed  to  say,  4 Why  did  you  shoot 
me?  why  did  you  shoot  me?’  He  then  said  to  himself, 

4 1 will  never  shoot  another  bird  ; ’ and  he  never  did. 


136 


WILLIAM  LADD, 


“ Mr.  Ladd  was  ever  ready  to  confess  his  faults, 
even  to  a child.  He  once  sent  a little  girl  to  get 
a corkscrew.  She  brought  him  a gimlet.  He  was 
in  haste  to  use  the  instrument,  and  said  she  was  a 
‘ dull,  stupid  girl/  and  sent  her  back  again.  As 
she  left  his  presence,  he  said,  ‘I  ought  not  to  have 
spoken  so  to  her.’  As  soon  as  she  returned  again, 
he  said,  ‘ I ask  your  pardon  for  speaking  to  you 
as  I did/ 

“ There  were  two  boys  in  the  neighborhood, 
who  were  in  the  babit  of  being  too  free  with  his 
trees  of  choicest  early  apples.  He  had  never  seen 
them  take  the  apples,  but  he  had  good  reason  to 
believe  that  they  did  take  them.  One  day,  as  the 
boys  were  near  his  house,  he  said  to  them,  ‘Boys, 
can  you  show  me  where  I can  find  some  good 
apples  ? ’ The  boys  immediately  conducted  him  to 
the  trees  that  bore  his  best  apples.  Mr.  Ladd  then 
spoke  out,  right  merrily,  to  them : ‘ Ah,  ha  ! boys  ! 
I see  you  know  where  my  apples  are  as  well  as 
Ido.’” 

He  is  reported  as  saying  at  a conference  : 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


137 


“ We  often  hear  professed  Christians  complain 
of  want  of  religious  enjoyment.  Now  I think  if  we 
would,  after  praying  over  the  subject,  take  a parcel 
of  good  religious  tracts,  and  go  among  our  friends 
and  acquaintances,  distributing  them  with  such 
words  as  their  subjects  and  circumstances  might 
suggest,  we  should,  I think,  return  to  our  homes 
with  higher  religious  enjoyment. ” 

The  clerk  of  a religious  anniversary  meeting 
held  in  Maine,  1837,  records  that, 

“In  accordance  with  previous  arrangements, 
Mr.  Ladd  occupied  the  last  hour  in  the  forenoon, 
and  introduced  his  subject — Peace — in  the  happiest 
manner,  by  observing  that  he  had  purposely  re- 
frained from  saying  much  on  the  topics  that  had 
been  discussed,  although  they  were  open  to  all  who 
were  disposed  to  speak ; for  he  perceived  that  all 
these  subjects,  and  others  not  named,  such  as  Tem- 
perance, and  Moral  Reform,  ran  like  rivulets  into 
the  broad  and  deep  river  of  Peace.  His  object 
would  be  to  show  that  Peace  embraced  them  all. 
And  probably  in  the  judgment  of  all  present  he 


138 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


made  out  his  case  pretty  clearly;  for  Peace,  being 
founded  on  the  great  law  of  Love , must  embrace  all 
good  works  and  cherish  all  good  feelings.” 

Says  William  Lloyd  Garrison,  in  1871: 

“Such  was  my  appreciation  of  his  character 
and  labors  that,  more  than  forty  years  ago,  I dedi- 
cated to  William  Ladd  the  following*  sonnet,  which 
was  printed  in  the  first  volume  of  The  Liberator : ” 

SONNET. 

The  conquerors  of  earth  have  had  their  day — 

Their  fame  lies  weltering  in  a bloody  shroud ; 

As  crime  and  desolation  haste  away, 

So  fade  their  glory  and  their  triumphs  proud. 

Great  Advocate  ! a fairer  wreath  is  thine, 

Base  Envy  can  not  soil,  nor  Time  destroy  ; 

Thou  art  enlisted  in  a cause  divine, 

Which  yet  shall  fill  all  earth  and  heaven  with  joy. 

To  calm  the  passions  of  a hostile  world  ; 

To  make  content  and  happiness  increase; 

In  every  clime  to  see  that  flag  unfurled, 

Long  since  uplifted  by  the  Prince  of  Peace : 

This  is  thy  souPs  desire,  thy  being’s  aim, 

No  barrier  can  impede,  no  opposition  tame. 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


139 


CHAPTER  XIII. 


The  first  chapter  of  this  Review  contains  a brief 
description  of  the  farm  and  homestead  of  William 
Ladd,  during  the  earlier  period  of  his  life. 

“ A few  years  before  his  death,”  writes  the  late 
Professor  Upham,  “ I visited  his  retired  residence. 
He  showed  me  the  room  in  which  he  had  written 
the  numerous  papers,  and  even  volumes  on  the 
subject  of  wTar.  Walking  with  him  in  one  of  his 
beautiful  fields,  he  pointed  to  a cluster  of  trees  at  a 
little  distance,  and  said,  ‘ It  was  beneath  those  trees 
that  I solemnly  consecrated  myself  in  prayer  to  this 
one  work  of  impressing  upon  the  minds  of  men  the 
principles  of  peace.’  I met  with  him  often,  and 
have  been  deeply  affected  with  his  simplicity  and 
fixedness  of  purpose.  He  fully  believed  that  God 
had  inspired  within  him  that  central  idea,  around 


140 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


which  the  labors  of  his  life  turned  ; and  those  who 
knew  him  intimately,  could  hardly  fail  to  be  im- 
pressed with  a similar  conviction.’” 

The  following  interesting  description  of  the  Ladd 
homestead  in  1844,  three  years  after  his  death,  is 
taken  from  the  Leiviston  Falls  Advertiser: 

“The  day  on  which  we  visited  the  mansion, 
was  one  of  the  clearest  of  the  Indian  summer.  The 
house  was  situated  in  Minot,  not  more  than  four  or 
five  rods  from  the- road,  but  nearly  concealed  from  it 
by  a profusion  of  elegant  trees.  The  windows  are 
shaded  by  clumps  of  pine  and  spruce,  among  which 
glisten  the  silver  firs,  and  over  the  pathway  wave 
enticingly  the  bright  red  berries  of  the  mountain  ash. 
On  the  north,  it  is  shielded  from  the  cold  winds  by  a 
long  row  of  Lombardy  poplars.  The  garden  on  the 
south,  is  entered  under  a tasteful  arch,  and  is  well 
arranged.  The  smooth,  gravelly  walks  are  hemmed 
in  by  shrubbery ; and  fruit  and  ornamental  trees 
are  scattered,  with  a plentiful  hand,  through  the 
grounds. 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


141 


“The  fields  are  smooth  as  a lawn,  and  the 
barns,  six  in  number,  are  large  and  well  filled. 

4 The  Majordomo/  who  showed  us  about  the  prem- 
ises, communicated  many  interesting  anecdotes  of 
its  late  occupant.  The  house  is  spacious  enough 
to  accommodate  the  train  of  a feudal  lord ; and  had 
Mr.  Ladd’s  taste  been  different,  he  might  have 
stabled  his  hundred  horses,  and  ridden  over  his 
grounds,  attended  by  a hundred  horsemen,  and  made 
his  home  like  a castle  in  the  days  of  chivalry.  It  is 
situated  on  the  top  of  a long  swell  of  grounds,  and 
we  could  not  wonder  that  Mr.  Ladd  had  chosen  this 
place  fur  his  residence,  when  we  looked  from  the 
windows  upon  the  vast  prospect  of  green  hills  and 
cultivated  fields  spread  out  below.  The  white  moun- 
tains at  a distance  of  fifty  miles,  glistened  with  the 
snowbanks  and  ice-bound  rivulets  of  early  winter. 

“But  as  we  walked  through  the  large  empty 
rooms,  and  the  walls  sent  back  only  hollow  echoes  to 
our  tread,  it  was  not  difficult  to  feel  that  the  mas- 
ter’s presence  was  not  there  to  animate,  and  that  his 
absence  had  filled  the  place  with  gloom.  Yet,  there 
was  a charm  about  the  deserted  home  of  him  who 


142 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


had  spent  the  latter  years  of  his  life  in  attempting 
to  perfect  one  of  the  most  glorious  systems  that  ever 
flourished  on  the  ‘ tide  of  time/  a system  which  will 
do  away  with  one  of  the  scourges  of  society,  disarm 
Mars  of  its  thunders,  and  give  to  the  fiendish  strug- 
gles for  suj^remacy,  only  a record  among  the  barbaric 
institutions  of  the  past.’” 

Such  was  the  description  of  this  venerated  home- 
stead before  it  had  gone  into  other  hands.  In  1860, 
sixteen  years  afterward,  it  was  via  ted  by  John 
Hemmenway,  who  writes: 

“I  called  on  Kev.  Elijah  Jones,  who  very 
kindly  walked  with  me  to  the  Ladd  mansion.  As 
we  entered  the  parlor,  which  remains,  excepting  the 
furniture,  just  as  Mr.  Ladd  left  it,  he  pointed  to  the 
hearth  and  said,  ‘ There  is  where  my  wife  and  I 
have  spent  many  happy  evening  hours  in  the  com- 
pany of  Mr.  Ladd.’  We  then  went  into  the  north- 
east corner  room.  This  was  his  library.  This  was 
the  spot  where  he  conceived  and  wTrote  the  most  of 
his  great  and  loving  thoughts  of  peace  and  good-wTill 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


143 


to  man,  with  books,  pamphlets,  and  papers,  filling 
the  shelves  around  him.  Here,  in  this  little  room, 
William  Ladd  prayed  and  read  and  meditated,  and 
wrote  with  hope  and  cheerfulness,  and  a disinterested 
spirit  of  benevolence  as  wide  as  the  world  and  as 
comprehensive  as  the  woes  and  wants  of  all  man- 
kind ; and  unborn  generations  shall  arise  and  bless 
his  name,  when  wTar’s  mightiest  heroes  shall  be 
remembered  only  with  pity  and  abhorrence. 

“ Slept  in  the  north  chamber,  called,  4 the  min- 
ister’s chamber,’  and  slept,  as  Mr.  Jones  said  I 
would,  ‘in  peace.’  After  breakfast,  I went  up  into 
the  little  roofless  enclosure  on  the  top  of  the  man- 
sion. Here  the  ‘ Apostle  of  Peace’  often  sat  during 
the  warm,  bright  sunny  hours.  From  this  position  is 
an  enchantingiy  beautiful  view,  one  of  the  loveliest 
in  New  England.  It  is  extensive  in  all  directions ; 
variegated  with  fields,  pastures,  woodlands,  water, 
churches,  dwellinghouses,  orchards,  hills,  vales,  and 
mountains.  How  beautiful  all  this  must  have  been 
in  the  eyes  of  him  who  loved  God  and  man  so  well ! 

“ The  summerhouse  is  still  standing  near  a 
solitary  flourishing  chestnut  tree,  near  the  central 


144 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


part  of  the  garden.  This  neat  building,  in  the  hot 
summer  days,  afforded  the  pious  sage  and  philanthro- 
pist of  Minot  an  agreeable  and  healthful  place  of 
seclusion  and  rest,  where  he  could  calmly  meditate 
upon  his  great  plan  of  benevolence  for  the  good  of 
the  whole  family  of  man. 

“A  great  change  has  taken  place  in  the  appear- 
ance of  the  homestead  since  his  death.  It  should 
have  been  carefully  kept,  as  a place  of  sacred  and 
pleasant  resort,  for  devoted  pilgrims  of  peace  philan- 
thropy in  all  future  times,  down  to  and  through  the 
joyful  day,  when  the  sound  of  war  shall  be  heard  no 
more,  and  peace  and  love  reign  on  earth  as  wide 
and  universal  as  the  sunlight  which  cheers  all  the 
world.’” 

We  will  close  our  Review  of  the  life  of  William 
Ladd,  with  the  following  from  a traveler’s  journal, 
dated  September  11th,  1868: 

<:Left  Portland  this  morning  by  railroad  at 
fifteen  minutes  before  7 o’clock,  for  Portsmouth, 
New  Hampshire,  where  I arrived  at  9 o'clock  A.  M. 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


145 


As  soon  as  I stepped  out  of  the  car,  I walked  down 
to  the  South  Cemetery.  It  is  situated  about  half  a 
mile  from  the  city,  and  contains  about  thirty-five 
acres.  Through  the  central  part  is  a valley  of  gentle 
descent,  containing  about  eight  acres,  and  passes  from 
southwest  to  northeast,  where  flourish  many  large 
trees  of  the  maple,  elm,  and  other  sorts.  In  the 
central  part  of  this  valley  is  a small  pond,  about  two 
hundred  feet  in  length  by  one  hundred  feet  in 
breadth,  with  a smooth,  grassy,  artificial  margin. 
This  valley  is  covered  with  artificial  grass;  but  the 
land  is  not  used  as  a burial  place,  being  too  moist. 

“ This  cemetery  is  very  beautiful  in  itself,  and 
also  for  situation.  William  Ladd,  the  ‘Apostle  of 
Peace/  is  buried  here.  I came  to  Portsmouth  to-day 
for  the  sole  purpose  of  visiting  his  sepulchre.  It  is 
about  seventeen  rods  from  the  gate  at  the  entrance 
of  the  cemetery  on  the  left.  The  main  road,  which 
is  one  rod  in  width,  bare  and  gravelly,  passes  di- 
rectly by,  about  ten  feet  southwest  of  the  monu- 
ment which  stands  directly  over  the  good  man’s 
grave. 


146 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


“The  following  is  a description  of  the  monu- 
ment : 

“The  foundation  stone  is  a granite  block,  forty- 
two  inches  square  and  eighteen  inches  thick ; upon 
this  rests  a marble  stone  thirty  inches  square  and 
four  inches  in  thickness.  From  this  a marble  pyra- 
midal pillar  rises  to  a height  of  seven  feet  two 
inches,  which  is  at  its  base  twenty-one  inches  square, 
and  twelve  inches  at  the  top.  Whole  height  of  the 
monument,  nine  feet. 

“The  monument  is  very  modest,  simple,  and 
plain,  being  more  agreeable  to  the  character  and 
taste  of  the  good  apostle  than  of  costly  and  curious 
form.  I should  have  been  grieved  to  have  found  an 
expensive  and  lofty  monument  of  cunning  design 
erected  in  memory  of  William  Ladd,  the  meek 
philanthropist  and  humble  Christian.  Peace  to 
his  ashes ! ” 

The  epitaph  on  the  southwest  side,  reads  as 
follows : 


WILLIAM  LADD. 


147 


WILLIAM  LADD. 

Born  May  10,  1778, 

Died  April  7,  1841. 

BLESSED  ARE  THE  PEACE 
MAKERS,  FOR  THEY  SHALL  BE  CALLED 
THE  CHILDREN  OF  GOD. 

Erected  by  the 

American  Peace  Society. 

(On  the  opposite  side.) 

Sophia  Ann 
Stidolph, 

Widow  of 

William  Ladd. 

Died  Dec.  29,  1855, 

AGED  75  YEARS. 


/ 


